princess diana phantom of the opera visit
Princess Diana met the cast of "The Phantom of the Opera" in London in 1986.
Anwar Hussein/Getty Images, PA Images via Getty Images
  • Princess Diana filmed herself singing “All I Ask of You” from “Phantom of the Opera” as a wedding anniversary gift to Prince Charles in “The Crown.” 
  • The private performance is said to have actually happened in real life, although there is debate whether the real Diana actually sang the song or mimed. 
  • The Washington Post reported at the time that the princess had received direction from the show’s choreographer, Gillian Lynne. 
  • Andrew Lloyd Webber recently told The Telegraph that he wasn’t involved in the performance, but he suspected that “she did sneak in” to the theater with Lynne to record it.
  • Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Netflix’s “The Crown” has faced criticism over scenes that didn’t happen in real life, including “The Balmoral Test” and Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s first meeting.

One moment from the historical drama’s fourth season that is said to be true to reality is Diana’s seventh wedding anniversary gift to Charles – a tape of her performing “All I Ask of You” from the musical “The Phantom of the Opera.”

In episode nine, titled “Avalanche,” the Princess of Wales (Emma Corrin) tells her husband (Josh O’Connor) that singing for him is her attempt to “show what I really feel.” 

diana charles the crown performance
Princess Diana performs a song from "The Phantom of the Opera" for Prince Charles in "The Crown."
Netflix

They watch the tape of the performance – filmed in private at a theater in London’s West End  – together, with the prince appearing to fake a smile throughout. Afterward, he tells Princess Anne that it was “dreadful” and “exhausting” to watch.

While it’s unknown what Charles’ actual reaction to the performance was, there are various other details about Diana’s connection to the musical that have been reported.

There's debate over whether Diana actually sang during the performance

Emma Corrin, who plays Princess Diana, told Vanity Fair that she was shocked to learn Diana's performance actually happened in real life.

"'The Phantom of the Opera' thing shocked me the most," Corrin said. "That it's exactly as it happened in the series - as in she hired the West End set, got a film crew in, and filmed it for Charles. Which is mental."

It was reported in the press at the time, with the Washington Post reporting that the princess had her movements directed by the show's choreographer, Gillian Lynne. The publication also reported that the musical's creator Andrew Lloyd Webber was there to oversee the performance.

However, Lloyd Webber denied this, telling The Telegraph: "I suspect she did sneak in with Gillie!"

The official "Phantom of the Opera" Twitter account also confirmed that the performance happened, writing: "'All I Ask of You' was always one of her favorite songs, with her once making a private video on the Phantom's stage. Excited to see this moment in @TheCrownNetflix with the wonderful Emma Corrin."

The tape itself has never been released to the public, and it's something that neither Charles nor Diana confirmed themselves. 

One thing that has been the subject of debate is whether Diana actually sang during the performance.

The show's director, Jessica Hobbs, recently said on "The Crown: The Official Podcast" that they made the decision to have Diana sing in the episode because Corrin sang the song during her audition for the role.

"Our understanding was that she'd done a dance for him that was filmed on stage, in the costumes, on the real set ... so we extended that to singing," Hobbs said.

"We did not make this up. There were a number of reports on this, enough to make us feel comfortable including it in the show," Annie Sulzberger, the series' head of research, told The Telegraph. "It's a story that pre-existed the writing of the script. We don't know for sure what she did. She could have mimed to the song. The reports suggest performance and dancing."

Diana was reportedly a big fan of the show

Diana was photographed attending a charity performance of the musical and meeting the cast in London in 1986. She reportedly loved the show so much that Lloyd Webber gifted her a signed copy of the single "All I Ask of You," and a signed manuscript of the score, according to the Telegraph.

While this hasn't been confirmed by Lloyd Webber himself, it's true that he did meet the princess on multiple occasions. He confirmed in a tweet that the royal saw the show several times.

"Meeting Princess Diana on the first of her several visits to @PhantomOpera. She was a great lover of live theatre and I'm looking forward to seeing Emma Corrin's take on 'All I Ask of You' in @TheCrownNetflix," he wrote.

The princess enjoyed playing the songs from the musical on the piano, according to royal biographer Simone Simmons.

"She was a very gifted pianist. No one seems to know this. She could play pieces of music that made your insides melt. She listened to some pop music but her real love was the classics," Simmons told The Telegraph.

Read the original article on Insider