The Crown on Netflix: What does persona non grata actually mean?

Episode one of The Crown season six is titled “Persona Non Grata” – so I’ll forgive you for wondering what the meaning of that phrase even is.

During episode one, Princess Diana also says the phrase, when asked if she wants to visit her sons at Balmoral Castle. So, what does it mean in this context?

via Netflix

What does persona non grata actually mean?

The shortest definition defines the Latin phrase as meaning: “An unacceptable or unwelcome person.” It’s usually used in formal situations, such as talking about members of government or foreign diplomats. As a legal term, it refers to the practice of a state prohibiting a diplomat from entering the country, or censuring a diplomat already resident in the country for conduct unbecoming of the status of a diplomat.

According to Collins Dictionary, if someone becomes or is declared persona non grata, they become unwelcome or unacceptable because of something they have said or done. For example, the government has declared the French ambassador persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country.

So, in the context of why Diana said she was “very much persona non grata” when it was asked if she’d visit her sons was probably because she was divorced from the royal family. Camilla was very much in the picture, the then Prince Charles probably wouldn’t have been too approving of Diana showing up to a royal home and what that might look like to the public.

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

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