Major Hugh Lindsay’s Widow Reacts to ‘The Crown’s Avalanche Episode: “I Was Horrified”

The widow of Major Hugh Lindsay, who died while skiing with Prince Charles in 1988, has criticized The Crown  for its depiction of her husband’s death. In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Sarah Horsley revealed that she asked Netflix not to include the disaster in The Crown Season 4, but her request was denied. “I’m very upset by it and I’m dreading people seeing it,” said Horsley. “I suppose members of the royal family have to grin and bear it, but for me it’s a very private tragedy.”

In 1988, Lindsay, an equerry to Queen Elizabeth II, traveled with the Prince of Wales and a few senior royals to Klosters, a Swiss resort, for a skiing trip. During an outing on Gotschnagrat Mountain, an avalanche struck, and Major Hugh Lindsay was swept away. According to the Guardian‘s report on the incident, Prince Charles and the other members of their party desperately attempted to dig out Lindsay, but they were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after.

The Crown Season 4 references this tragedy in Episode 9, “Avalanche,” and although Lindsay’s death is not depicted, his widow is upset that the storyline was included at all. “I was horrified when I was told [the episode] was happening and was very concerned about the impact on my daughter,” Horsley told the Sunday Telegraph. She added that she “wrote to” producers asking them “not to use the accident,” but her concerns were dismissed.

Instead, said Horsley, The Crown producers replied with “a very kind letter” claiming “that they understood my concerns, but they hope I will feel that they deal with difficult subject matters with integrity and great sensitivity.” Added the widow, “I think it’s very unkind to many members of the family [to dramatize the accident].”

At the time of Lindsay’s death, Horsley was pregnant with their daughter, Alice, and working in the Buckingham Palace press office. According to the Guardian, Prince Charles ultimately became a godfather to Alice, but Lindsay’s death seemed to affect him for many years, as he later wrote, “I still find it hard to understand why I survived and he didn’t.'”

Decider has reached out to Netflix for comment but did not hear back by the time of publication.

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