Model Jemima Khan, said to be a close friend of Princess Diana's, has quit her role as a script advisor on royal-based drama, The Crown, saying she's unhappy with how the show plans to portray her late friend in the next season. Jemima also previously dated the show's creator, Peter Morgan.
Season 5, which is loosely based on real life events, is currently in the works and is set to explore the breaking down of Prince Charles and Princess Diana's marriage, along with featuring the controversial sit-down interview that Diana gave to journalist Martin Bashir.
It has since been proven that the Princess was shown counterfeit documents ahead of the televised conversation and both of her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, have branded it exploitative and said they believed it played a part in her untimely death.
Now, Jemima, who was consulting on the script, has stepped down saying Diana's story is not being dealt with "as respectfully or compassionately" as she had initially hoped it would be.
Jemima, who is also a seasoned film and television producer, as well as being a friend of Princess Diana's, hasn't publicly spoken about their friendship until recently when she told the Sunday Times, "It was really important to me that the final years of my friend's life be portrayed accurately and with compassion, as has not always happened in the past."
It's reported that from September of last year up until February of this year, Jemima assisted with story outlines and scripts, which are said to include Princess Diana's alleged relationship with the heart surgeon Hasnat Khan, as well as Harrods heir Dodi Fayed, and the final two years of her life.
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However, Jemima has now said to the press that after realising the stories were not going in the direction she had hoped for, she has "requested that all my contributions be removed from the series and I declined a [writing] credit".
A spokesman for The Crown said: "Jemima Khan has been a friend, fan and a vocal public supporter of The Crown since season one. She has been part of a wide network of well-informed and varied sources who have provided extensive background information to our writers and research team — providing context for the drama that is The Crown. She has never been contracted as a writer on the series."
Prince William is also said to be "frustrated" with the programme's future plans to portray his mother's life – and in particular her interview with Martin Bashir in which she famously described her marriage as "crowded", insinuating that Prince Charles had been unfaithful.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
