The Crown: How did Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed meet?

The Crown season 5 is just a day away and fans are looking forward to what’s bound to be another enjoyable binge. The Netflix Original has been applauded for its performances every season, and we’re sure that’ll be the same this time around. Actors Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce, Elizabeth Debicki, Dominic West, and others will be stepping in to play aged-up versions of the main characters. The new season takes place in the 1990s as Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage comes to an end.

We’ll get to see more from Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles’ affair, as well as Diana’s romances. As those who follow the Royal Family history know, she began a relationship with a man named Dodi Fayed, and he was unfortunately by her side in the fatal car accident that took their lives in 1997.

Dodi was the son of an Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed who moved to England in his teens and went on to become a filmmaker. According to Cosmopolitan, he was rumored to have dated a few American A-listers, including Julia Roberts, Brooke Shields, and Winona Ryder.

When did Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed meet?

As reported by The Independent, Dodi first met Princess Diana in 1989 at a polo match in Windsor. But of course, they didn’t start dating at the time and it wasn’t until over a decade later that they became close. Dodi and Diana reconnected after his father invited the princess and her kids to stay with them in Saint-Tropez, France. She reportedly stayed with them several times before her death.

By 1997, Diana and Dodi were reportedly dating casually and were spending more time together in France. Sadly, this led to their untimely deaths in Paris when their driver crashed into a pillar and into oncoming traffic on the night of Aug. 30, 1997. They were attempting to flee paparazzi who were trying to get photographs of Diana and Dodi together. Their driver, Henri Paul, also passed away. While the others were pronounced dead at the scene, Diana was brought to the hospital where she died in the early hours of August 31.

The Crown season 5 will follow the events leading up to Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed’s deaths, with that tragic night likely being a bigger storyline in the sixth season. This time around, Diana will be played by actress Elizabeth Debicki, while actor Khalid Abdalla will portray Dodi.

New episodes of The Crown premiere on Netflix on Wednesday, Nov. 9.