The Crown Season 5 is Inspired by the Heartbreaking True Story
Who was Leonora Knatchbull from The Crown's newest episodes?
The latest season of the show revolving around the British Royal Family has no lack of sad moments, one of the most heartbreaking being the fate of young Leonora Knatchbull.
The majority of The Crown audience has likely heard the girl's name for the first time in the Netflix show. However, Leonora who died early from cancer made an impact on the dynamics in the royal family relationships.
Leonora was the youngest daughter of Norton and Penelope Knatchbull (then Lord and Lady Romsey) who were close friends with the British royals. The girl born in 1986 had royal blood in her veins. She was the great-granddaughter of Louis Mountbatten (Uncle Dickie in The Crown) on her father's side. Therefore, Leonora was a cousin to Prince Philip and King Charles III.
The girl was the goddaughter of King Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Diana. The Knatchbulls spent a lot of time with the royal family and were vacationing with the Prince and Princess of Wales in Majorca when the first signs of Leonora's disease were discovered, according to the obituary from The Herald.
The disease later turned out to be kidney cancer, causing deep sorrow to the girl's family and friends.
While Leonora was undergoing a long 14-month chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment, she continued to captivate the public with cheerfulness and a charming personality. Just several months prior to her death, the girl joined Princess Diana, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice, and Prince Harry on the Buckingham Palace balcony for Trooping the Colour.
The country watched the girl smiling and laughing in her bright red dress and hat, hiding the hair loss.
Later that summer, Lord and Lady Romsey and their children joined the Prince and Princess of Wales on a Mediterranean cruise. The family was hoping for an improvement in the course of Leonora's disease, but soon after the cruise ended, the girl got worse and passed away on October 21, 1991, at the age of five.
Lady Romsey With Her Two Children, Alexandra And Nicholas Knatchbull
Leonora's death was a cruel blow to her family, especially to her mother, Penelope Knatchbull. Besides the shared interest in racing, the tragedy might have brought Penelope and Prince Philip closer together. The Crown even implies that the couple had later taken their relationship beyond friendship, but that has never been confirmed.