Photographs taken of the set show actors running along the sandy beach in scenes similar to the 1981 Oscar-winning film - which told the story of the 1924 Olympics. One shot shows a chair with Dodi’s name written on the back. Dodi, who became Diana’s lover 16 years later in 1997, was an executive producer on Chariots Of Fire after his father Mohamed Al Fayed set him up in the film business. The upcoming fifth series of The Crown will feature British actor Khalid Abdalla in the role of Dodi, who died with Diana in a Paris car crash in 1997.
The photographs were taken by Amanda English, who was walking her dog along the beach at Camber Sands when she saw the film crew. “It felt like something of an enormous operation given the amount of cars, lorries, machinery, marquees and security in Camber central car park,” she said. “The filming took place for a day and then they were off again to film at the next location in Pall Mall. Whether true or not, I was informed by a member working in security on site that each episode of this series of The Crown can cost up to £10m to produce!”
Dodi was a little-known movie executive when Chariots Of Fire was released in 1981. It is believed the scenes shot at Camber Sands will be flashbacks of his earlier life before he met the Princess of Wales. Elizabeth Debicki is playing Princess Diana for The Crown’s fifth and sixth seasons - which will cover the Royal Family in the 1990s to 2003. Events will include the death of Princess Margaret and The Queen Mother.
1.
Netflix series The Crown filming at Camber Sands, near Rye. Picture: Amanda English.
2.
Netflix series The Crown filming at Camber Sands, near Rye. Picture: Amanda English.
3.
Netflix series The Crown filming at Camber Sands, near Rye. Picture: Amanda English.
4.
Netflix series The Crown filming at Camber Sands, near Rye. Picture: Amanda English.