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'The Crown' Season 4: Were Diana's bulimia scenes too graphic? Fans have mixed reactions to 'rough' portrayal

Viewer reactions to the depiction of Diana's bulimia have been mixed as some appreciated the candor of the show and the representation that came with the new season

Spoilers for 'The Crown' Season 4

Netflix's 'The Crown' is back with new episodes as it returned with the fourth season — which is arguably the show's best so far. Season 4 introduces us to Lady Diana Spencer (Emma Corrin) for the first time as Prince Charles (Josh O'Connor) meets her in the very first episode, and then goes on to date her, propose to her, and marry her. However, it is clear from the beginning that Charles is not over Camilla Parker-Bowles (Emerald Fennell) and continues his extra-marital affair with her throughout.

Charles's affair with Camilla had many consequences, not least of which was Diana's battle with an eating disorder. The third episode of 'The Crown' shows viewers the heartbreaking way in which Diana's eating disorder began and how it was tied to her insecurity over Charles's affair with Camilla. In an interview for the Channel 4 documentary, 'Diana: In Her Own Words', Diana revealed that she first developed symptoms of the eating disorder after discovering Charles's infidelity. According to the book, Diana said, “My husband [Prince Charles] put his hand on my waistline and said: ‘Oh, a bit chubby here, aren’t we?’ and that triggered off something in me. And the Camilla thing.” Some of the scenes are so graphic that viewers are given an on-screen warning at the beginning of the three episodes where her bulimia is depicted.

While viewers would have related to Diana's pain, not everyone was happy with the depictions of Diana's mental health struggles on the show. According to the Daily Mail, royal experts have criticized the Netflix show's depiction of Diana's bulimia as being "too graphic". Ingrid Seward told the publication, "It was a significant thing in her young life, so I think it needed to be depicted in some way. It would have been absolutely fine having her bending over the loo, but I don’t think you need quite such detail. I think it perhaps was a bit over-embellished."

However, do viewers of the show agree with the opinions of the royal experts? Viewer reactions to the depiction of Diana's bulimia have been mixed. Some appreciated the candor of the show and the representation that came with the new season. A viewer tweeted, "Emma Corrin did a honest portrait of Diana's bulimia. As someone who suffered from eating disorder in the past, this acknowledgment means a great deal. #TheCrown." Another wrote, "As someone who suffered from bulimia when I was younger, I can completely relate to these binge & purge scenes with Diana. The shoving down all the pain & the release of all the pressure from throwing up. #TheCrown."

However, others noted that the scenes were hard to watch and that there were inaccuracies. A viewer wrote, "The message of the season was made clear in beautifully written scripts. And it certainly was an exceptional season. The episodes surrounding Princess Diana's bulimia were particularly very hard to watch." Another expressed, "These bulimia scenes are really rough. I'm having fast-forward through all of them. #TheCrown." A viewer pointed out, "First inaccurate thing I’ve seen so far regarding Diana: Her bulimia didn’t just start out of nowhere. It started after Charles put his hands on her waist and said: “Getting a bit chubby, are we?” Combined with her suspicions/insecurities about Camilla. #TheCrown."

'The Crown' Season 4 is now streaming on Netflix.