Shortly after releasing the teaser for season 6 on 9 October 2023, Netflix ran into controversy after an insider described a scene in which Diana would appear as a ghost in front of her ex-husband, Charles, and his mother, the Queen.

After a backlash, a Netflix spokesperson claimed that: "These sensitive and thoughtful imagined conversations seek to bring to life the depth of emotion that was felt after such a seismic tragedy struck at the heart of the family.

The website's critics consensus states, "Elizabeth Debicki's haunting portrayal does right by the Princess of Wales, but The Crown's final season often feels like a reign extended past its prime.

[59] Writing for Variety, Aramide Tinubu contended that by portraying Diana's relationship as "a comforting friendship that had only started to blossom", the show prompts viewers to reflect on the British royal family's choices, juxtaposed against the reigning monarch's stoicism and adherence to tradition, which, according to the reviewer, has led to the monarchy being perceived as "relic-like".

[53] Carol Midgley of The Times wrote that, despite some "gauche imaginings" of characters, the majority of performances were "excellent" and the show was still "a compelling piece of television with very high production values that makes you want to see more".

[56] Reviewing the first volume for The Guardian, Lucy Mangan gave it one out of five, describing the "Diana-obsessed series" as "the very definition of bad writing", despite the "brilliant performances from the entire cast".

[63] In her review of the second volume for Variety, Alison Herman noted that there was a vacuum left by Diana's departure, but that similar to earlier seasons the focus shifted towards the Queen and the final moments were "an articulate expression of why ritual, stasis and pageantry matter".

[64] Writing for The New York Times, Mike Hale also noted that by moving past Diana's storyline the show was "back inside the parlors, bedrooms and country houses of Elizabeth and the other Windsors" and was again "in its comfort zone".

[65] In her review for The Independent, Katie Rosseinsky gave the second volume two out of five and concluded that "Morgan's drama is haunted by the ghost of past glories" and the people depicted "exist less as characters, more as vessels for exposition and knowing nods to present-day royal in-fighting".

[66] Anita Singh of The Telegraph also gave the second volume two out of five and believed that "Morgan had clearly run out of steam", adding that the story of William and Kate's relationship was "sweet but dull".

[74] In reality, Dodi visited the Paris branch of Repossi quietly and purchased a ring which he kept at his apartment, rather than at the Ritz hotel where he and Diana were staying, making the scene showing his proposal fictitious.

[76] Episode 8 shows Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret taking part in VE Day celebrations at The Ritz, though there is no record of the sisters visiting the hotel's basement bar the Pink Sink and dancing jitterbug.

[76] Episode 10 features a fictional plotline in which the Queen is shown to self-debate the idea of abdication in favour of her son Charles in the days leading up to his wedding to Camilla.