Yes, Prince Charles and Diana did go on a second honeymoon and it’s said to have been tense

Some of what was shown in the first episode of The Crown was true, but some was made up

1 year ago

The fifth season of The Crown has just dropped on Netflix, and straight up in the first episode there are real life events you can’t help but Google wondering if they actually happened. One of those is a second honeymoon between Prince Charles and Diana, which is shown throughout the episode.

We see the married couple embark and what is being called a “second honeymoon”, alongside their sons William and Harry, and a number of friends. The trip looks tense, and the couple discuss things like what they want to get up to, notably Diana being judged by all in the room for wanting to go shopping, and then Charles says he needs to leave to attend an event at Oxford University. But did all this happen in real life? Here’s what we know.

Prince Charles and Diana shown on a second honeymoon in season five episode one of The Crown on Netflix

via Netflix

In 1991, Charles and Diana went on a second honeymoon in Italy

Yes, it is true that in August 1991, Charles and Diana went on a boat trip with their sons, William and Harry. They stayed on the naval yacht Alexandra off Naples and cruised the Mediterranean.

The trip in the show is dubbed as a “second honeymoon” as Charles is seeing his popularity grow in comparison to the Queen, and a lot of this is based on the popularity of Diana – so Charles’ team therefore put on a united front for the couple to seem more happy. Charles invites friends such as his second cousin and friend Norton Knatchbull and his wife Penny, with their children.

via Netflix

In real life, the trip was dubbed by the press as a second honeymoon and the Knatchbull family was there. It’s been reported that Diana was unhappy at this point in the marriage, and the cruise was a “breaking point” for her. She had reportedly already spoken to biographer Andrew Morton about the difficulties in her marriage.

However, obviously the conversations that happened on the trip were in private, so that has been dramatised for The Crown.

Did Charles leave their second honeymoon early?

via Netflix

During The Crown season five, we see Charles leave the trip midway through to attend a speaking engagement at Oxford University. He claims it’s a “diary clash” out of his control, and he has to leave the holiday.

Whilst it appears unclear as to whether this did happen in real life, it was very much apparent at the time that Charles and Diana had began living fairly separate lives. Later that year, on a different trip, it was reported the couple had separate suites to stay in.

The Crown season five is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.