Netflix’sThe Crown has returned for a fifth season, which will explore the inner workings of the royal family during the 1990s.
The drama will see the introduction of several new characters, as it covers the breakdown of Princess Diana and King Charles III relationship, Diana’s iconic “revenge dress” moment, and her 1995 interview with BBC’s Martin Bashir.
Among the new characters is Dr James Colthurst, a close friend and confidant of the late Princess of Wales.
Here’s everything we know about Colthurst.
Where did Diana and James Colthurst meet?
Colthurst, 65, met Princess Diana in 1978 when she was 17, three years before she married then-Prince Charles.
At the time, she was still known as Lady Diana Spencer.
Colthurst and Diana met during a skiing holiday in Valet Claret in France through mutual friends but were introduced after she twisted her ankle.
Her friends, knowing Colthurst was training to become a doctor, brought her to see him.
Recalling their first meeting in a piece for The Telegraph, Colthurst said: “Good fun, bright and mischievous, it was hard not to hit it off with Diana straight away, and so began the friendship she and I maintained for the rest of her short, eventful life.”
Why was their friendship significant?
Colthurst was the link between Diana and royal biographer Andrew Morton, who wrote Diana: Her True Story in 1992.
Colthurst would take Morton’s questions to the palace, where he have taped conversations with Diana.
Speaking of the arrangement, Morton previously said: “As her friend, James was well aware that her marriage had failed, and her husband was having an affair with Camilla. By this stage, Diana was very concerned for her safety and the safety of those around her.
Morton told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “James would go to see Diana in her sitting room with tea and biscuits and stick a microphone on her sweater. He would turn the tape on and literally ask the questions I had prepared. It was a very hit-and-miss process.”
What else do we know about James Colthurst?
According to The Sun, Colthurst was educated at Eton College in Windsor, before training to become a surgeon at St Thomas Hospital in London.
He is understood to be married and have two daughters.
