The Crown 5: who is Sydney Johnson, the royal waiter?

The fifth season of The Crown has begun, but one character has particularly impressed audiences. Who is Sydney Johnson, the royal waiter?

A few days ago The Crown is back on Netflix with the fifth season. The TV series tells the story of the English monarchy through several generations and this final season focuses on the first half of the 90s, up to the death of Lady Diana. The marriage between the Princess of Wales and Prince (now King) Charles has been in crisis for some time and she has no intention of keeping it hidden or continuing to live with him.

Sydney Johnson in The Crown – Solocine.it

Moreover, Netflix has decided to bring back a famous and scandalous episode from the life of Diana and Carlo and, in general, the royal family. We are referring to the interview that the queen published for the BBC in 1996, where she not only announced the divorce, but also the causes. She did not hesitate to reveal that her husband had always cheated on her with Camilla and the many physical and mental health problems she had suffered due to the plight.

The series has been running successfully since 2016 and even the fifth season seems to be going well with it, despite early criticism over the casting choice. In addition, one episode attracted a lot of attention, namely the one where the waiter Sydney Johnson appears. But who is this character? It is inspired by a real character.

The Crown, the truth behind Sydney Johnson

In the third episode of The Crown, titled Mou Mou, royal footman Sydney Johnson appears, played by Joshua Kekana as a young man and later by Jude Akuwudike. This is the waiter who worked for former King Edward VIII for many years and is inspired by a real person.

Sydney Johnson in real life – Solocine.it

Sydney Johnson was born in the Bahamas in the 1920s and, very young, barely sixteen, became the personal valet of the Duke of Windsor, then governor of his country of origin. The teenager decides to follow the former king and his wife to Paris and work for them until shortly after the nobleman’s death in 1972. He quit his job in 1973 to care for the children after the untimely death of his companion.

As the series also shows, she met billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed at a party at the Ritz in the 1980s. Duke of Windsor had bequeathed to him. His work was particularly appreciated by the sheikh, so much so that he publicly praised him in the New York Times: “Sydney is a dictionary. He is a very cultured man.” He died in 1990, at the age of 69.

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