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Whatever the critics or the Royal Family might think about The Crown, you cannot avoid the fact that the reality of what happened in the 1990s is just as shocking as anything they could have made up.

That is what immediately hit me as I watched season five of the hit TV show.

The soap opera of what played out for the Windsors 30 years ago is still just as unbelievable as any of the fictional events or conversations they made up.

It’s all in there.

The collapse of Prince Charles and Diana’s marriage playing out publicly in such a grotty way through tell-all books and interviews, details of those tapes where Charles said he wanted to be Camilla’s tampon, three of the Queen’s children getting divorced, and discussion of those pictures of the Duchess of York sucking the toes of a lover.

The basics, what we know is true, are a dream for any scriptwriter.

You couldn’t make it up, but it all happened right at the heart of one of Britain’s most important and influential institutions.

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Of course, the debate over whether the programme needs a health warning because not everything we see is real is very much alive.

There’s been outrage that such a painful part of the Royal Family’s history should have been made into entertainment, almost pantomime.

I couldn’t help but think how ironic it is that newspapers and commentators who relished the scandal and the implosion of the Royal Family at the time are now so critical of the events being raked over again.

The Crown's Princess Diana. Credit: Netflix
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Diana, played by Elizabeth Debicki, in the trailer for the fifth series of The Crown. Pic: Netflix

From the start you have a very clear villain.

Prince Charles is again portrayed as an uncaring cheating husband, but also this time shaped as a man desperate to get his hands on the crown, and setting up a rival court to compete with his mother.

It’s a narrative that couldn’t be put into the minds of the viewers at a more sensitive time as now, in real life, he settles into his life as King.

So far the settling in period has played out very well for him, with the King and his team getting the right balance between respectfully mourning the Queen and setting out his stall on how he wants to reign.

Can a TV programme really sway how people feel about his motives?

Don’t forget season four of The Crown did cause concerns for the palace, as it dragged up the Diana days, bringing that story to a younger demographic.

At the time one journalist who works for US magazines told me how it had played particularly badly with American audiences, making a visit by Charles and Camilla unimaginable.

The appearance of a young Prince William and Prince Harry makes it uncomfortable to watch at times.

Both have now spoken about the trauma of living through their parents’ break up and their mother’s death.

Olivia Williams and Dominic West as Camilla and Prince Charles in The Crown. Pic: Netflix
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Olivia Williams and Dominic West as Camilla and Prince Charles in The Crown. Pic: Netflix

The hoards of photographers and reporters you’ll see on screen following their every move were real to them, a reminder of why they felt hounded and are now doing everything they can to stop it happening to their families.

At points you can’t help but feel this walk down memory lane is also designed to be a commentary on how the institution is viewed now.

Such as the writers weaving in make-believe monologues from the likes of Charles, Andrew, Margaret and Anne to question the monarchy’s role and the way it functions as they all talk about the constraints of “the system”.

In one scene the actor playing Andrew explains how they’d been excited about Sarah Ferguson marrying into the family, talking about how newcomers “make us look all modern, normal, human”.

But he adds: “No one with any character or spark has a place in the system.”

You could say a less than veiled dig about Meghan and Harry’s experience within “the firm”.

Read more:
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Of course, all this comes just two months after the Queen’s death.

The programme could not feel more distinct from the glowing tributes that have flowed since she died.

There are moments that reflect on her sense of duty, her influence on the world stage, but you can’t escape that the 1990s was one of the most difficult periods of her reign.

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While it may reflect badly on some of her living relatives, it is more positively a reminder of how remarkable it was that the Queen got things back on track.

During the 2000s she adapted to rebuild the monarchy’s reputation, and leave the overriding legacy of a much-loved monarch who rarely put a foot wrong.

It’s now her son, her other children and grandchildren who must face the added scrutiny that may come from The Crown, and more significantly deal with the other family issues that will undoubtedly come.

Season five of The Crown streams on Netflix from 9 November.

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Man accused of driving into crowds at Liverpool victory parade faces further 24 charges

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Man accused of driving into crowds at Liverpool victory parade faces further 24 charges

A man accused of driving into crowds at Liverpool FC’s title parade faces 24 new charges.

More than 130 people, including children, were injured when Paul Doyle allegedly drove his Ford Galaxy vehicle into hordes of fans at the celebrations on 26 May.

The 53-year-old, of Croxteth, Liverpool, was originally charged with two counts of wounding with intent, two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, two counts of attempted grievous bodily harm with intent, and one count of dangerous driving.

Six of the new alleged offences relate to babies, including one six-month-old and one seven-month-old, proceedings at Liverpool Crown Court heard on Thursday.

The new indictment, which was not read out in court, now has 31 counts relating to 29 victims, aged between six months and 77 years old.

Doyle now faces 18 counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, nine counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, two counts of wounding with intent, one count of dangerous driving and one count of affray.

He appeared in court via video link from prison and was in tears.

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He did not enter any pleas during the hearing, which lasted around 20 minutes.

The case was adjourned until 4 September, when Doyle is expected to enter pleas.

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Mosquito bite warning after rise in chikungunya cases in travellers returning to UK

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Mosquito bite warning after rise in chikungunya cases in travellers returning to UK

Travellers are being warned about mosquito bites on holiday after a rise in chikungunya infections in people returning to the UK.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also said the first cases of the emerging oropouche virus had been recorded.

Chikungunya typically causes sudden fever and joint pain, which can be debilitating, and lasts from a few days to weeks.

The name comes from a word in a Tanzanian language meaning “that which bends up”, owing to the joint pain associated with it.

Most people recover but in some cases the symptoms can last several months or even years.

It’s spread by mosquito bites in tropical and subtropical regions, and most of the 73 cases reported in the UK so far this year were in London and linked to travel to Sri Lanka, India, and Mauritius.

Only 27 cases were reported in the same January to June period last year.

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Chikungunya can’t spread directly from person to person – so if someone becomes ill in the UK, they can’t pass the infection on, and the mosquitos responsible aren’t present here.

Dr Philip Veal, consultant in public health at the UKHSA, said it can be a “nasty disease” and the increase in cases was “worrying”.

“It is essential to take precautions against mosquito bites when travelling,” he said.

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“Simple steps, such as using insect repellent, covering up your skin and sleeping under insecticide-treated bed nets can greatly reduce the risk.”

Chikungunya is mainly found in Asia and Africa, but cases have been reported in Europe and North America this year.

Two vaccines to guard against the infection are available in the UK from private travel clinics.

The first cases of the Oropouche virus have also been confirmed in Britain, according to the UKHSA.

It’s spread by midge and mosquito bites and the three cases are all linked to travel to Brazil.

Oropouche was first identified in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1950s and had been mainly confined to the Amazon area.

However, cases have been increasing since 2023 and have shown up in places such as the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Peru.

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Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, nausea and vomiting.

Anyone who gets such symptoms after being in Central and South America or the Caribbean is advised to get urgent medical advice.

Most people recover on their own, but it can cause severe disease in the very elderly or those with a weak immune system.

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Man staying at hotel that has been focus of protests denies sexual assault charge

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Man staying at hotel that has been focus of protests denies sexual assault charge

A man staying at a hotel that has been the focus of a series of protests has denied a charge of sexual assault and faces a trial next month.

Mohammed Sharwarq, a 32-year-old Syrian national, was arrested after police were called to the Bell Hotel on the Epping High Road in Essex yesterday, police said.

Sharwarq, who is alleged to have kissed a man on the neck, indicated a plea of not guilty to a charge of sexual assault at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court today.

He indicated guilty pleas to six further charges concerning four complainants – with two counts of common assault and four of assault by beating.

Sharwarq is alleged to have punched a man in the face, thrown an object at a man, slapped a third man in the face and attempted to punch a fourth.

Sky News understands the alleged offences took place inside the hotel between 25 July and 12 August.

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District judge Lynette Woodrow remanded Sharwarq, who was assisted in court by an Arabic interpreter, in custody until his trial on 30 September.

The arrest followed weeks of protests outside the hotel.

Neil Hudson, the Conservative MP for Epping Forest, said last month that the protests were a crisis that “risks boiling over”.

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