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The Crown Recreated So Many Princess Di Outfits In Season 5

The resemblance is uncanny.

by Ani Bundel
Keith Bernstein/Netflix

The Crown is fictionalized, but roots its story in real-world details of the U.K. royal family. From historical events to the clothing of the time, the show works hard to get the details right. These Princess Diana outfits The Crown recreated for Season 5 absolutely nailed it.

Keith Bernstein/Netflix

The Season 5 premiere shows Diana in a leopard print bathing dress on the “royal second honeymoon” to Italy in 1991.

Keith Bernstein/Netflix

In reality, Diana wore this look, though she wore it a year before, on a trip to the British Virgin Islands in April 1990.

Tim Graham/Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images

Episode 3 of The Crown focuses mostly on the Al-Fayed family, with Diana meeting them during a polo tournament sponsored by Harrods in 1986, sporting a lavender suit and pearls.

Keith Bernstein/Netflix

Americans will recognize that suit, but not from a polo tourney. She wore it during her last visit to the U.S. in the spring of 1997.

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Diana’s “revenge dress” is famous; it’s the one she wore a few months after Charles’ televised admission of infidelity. The series shows her wearing it at a “summer party” right after the special airs.

Keith Bernstein/Netflix

The series doesn’t miss with this one. It perfectly recreates the Christina Stambolian dress Diana wore. It even keeps the timeline: Charles’ special and the Vanity Fair dinner at the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens happened on the same night.

Princess Diana Archive/Hulton Royals Collection/Getty Images

Diana’s love for her sons is a big part of the season, and her fear of leaving Charles is that she’ll lose them. The series shows how close with was with Will, including when she showed up for his first day at Eton.

Keith Bernstein/Netflix

The show recreates the outfit down to the buttons, and once again doesn’t mess with the timeline, showing her seeing William off to Eton in 1995.

Anwar Hussein/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Diana was known for her casual-sporty look long before “athleisure” was a word. The series honors that by showing her wearing one of her famous looks, a Harvard sweatshirt, after leaving a workout.

Keith Bernstein/Netflix

Diana did wear this outfit to the gym. This photo, taken in 1997, shows her jogging down the High Street to her car after leaving the gym.

Tony Harris - PA Images/PA Images/Getty Images

Finally, there’s the BBC interview for Panorama with Martin Bashir. The recreation of this interview is downright uncanny — check out this video of the two side by side — and the outfit is exact.

Keith Bernstein/Netflix

Maybe the hair is a little larger, and maybe the eyeliner is a little less drastic. Otherwise, this recreation is perfect.

BBC/YouTube

The Crown Seasons 1 through 5 are streaming on Netflix. Season 6 is expected in 2023.

Keith Bernstein/Netflix

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