Did Derek ‘Dazzle’ Jennings try to convert Princess Margaret to Catholicism? He died on January 23rd 1995 at his friend’s house in Ealing, with Catholic bigwig Cardinal Hume praying at his bedside. He wrote in his autobiography that Dazzle was “adored by aristocrats”, was “not always blessed with an even temper” and could be seen “cycling round town on a sit-up-and-beg bicycle wearing a homburg.” He took his students on a weekend trip to a monastery, and would spontaneously perform operaĪfter his diagnosis with lymphatic leukaemia, Dazzle quickly became very ill, although in 1994 he was able to take Alec Guinness and his wife Merula to meet the pope. This was where Richard Coles first got to know him. He found them as stimulating as he often found the faculty members infuriating.” The Times wrote: “His encounters with students were a different pastoral challenge. From there, he moved on to King’s College London where he became the chaplain to Roman Catholic students. This is the point at which we meet him in The Crown, as he breaks the news to Princess Margaret (Helena Bonham Carter).Īfter this, Dazzle went off to the English College in Rome to begin his training for Catholic priesthood, before returning to London to serve first in Camden and then in Chiswick. After graduation he entered the civil service and climbed the ranks, but in 1984 – at the age of 38 – he abruptly resigned to take Holy Orders. He would turn up at country house dinners, theatre festivals, auction houses and modest student gatherings, always yearning to argue the toss, always with an admonitory finger at the ready, always loyal.”ĭazzle first converted to Roman Catholicism when he was still a student. He was a civil servant who surprised his friends by quitting his job to take Holy Orders – and he did have many, many friends, including Princess Margaret, Alec Guinness, and the Reverend Richard Coles (of The Communards and Strictly fame).ĭazzle’s obituary in The Times reads: “The death of Father Derek Jennings deprives London’s religious life of one of its most eccentric comets… graced with the nickname of “Dazzle”, Jennings was ubiquitous. Who was the real Derek ‘Dazzle’ Jennings?ĭerek “Dazzle” Jennings was born in 1946 and died in 1995 at the age of just 48. You can read more about him in our The Crown cast feature. The role of Dazzle Jennings is played in The Crown by guest star Tom Burke. Who plays Derek ‘Dazzle’ Jennings in The Crown?

Here’s what you need to know about the man behind the drama.

Dazzle jennings actor