The Crown introduced some new figures in royal history in season 5.
Predominantly set in the early 1990s, the show’s fifth chapter laid the groundwork for its sixth and final season, exploring various pivotal events such as Queen Elizabeth II’s “annus horribilis” (Latin for “horrible year”).
In addition to reenacting the disintegration of Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ marriage, season 5 of the hit Netflix series also told the story of several people outside the royal family, including Sydney Johnson, who for many years served as the personal valet to Edward VIII, the former king of England, who abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson (they became the Duke and Duchess of Windsor).
Though Johnson first appeared on the series in season 3 (played by Connie M’Gadzah), the fifth season dived deeper into his backstory through flashbacks (as portrayed by Jude Akuwudike), including his close relationship with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and his interesting connection to Mohamed Al-Fayed, the father of Dodi Fayed, who was Princess Diana’s boyfriend at the time of their deaths.
From his personal background to his connections with the royal family, here’s everything to know about Sydney Johnson.
He was born in Nassau, The Bahamas
Johnson was born in Nassau, The Bahamas in the early 1920s, where he resided until he was 16 when he moved to Paris with the Windsors as their personal valet.
He was the personal valet of the Windsors for more than 30 years
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Horst P. Horst/Condé Nast/Shutterstock
Johnson first met Edward VIII when he visited the Bahamas in his capacity as governor during World War II. As shown on The Crown, Edward VIII later asked Johnson to work for him and his wife Wallis Simpson full-time and he eventually moved with them to Villa Windsor in Paris where the couple resided.
Johnson served as their personal valet for three decades. Following Edward VIII’s death in 1972, and Johnson’s wife’s death a year later, he was forced to resign to take care of his family.
He had four children
Johnson was the father of four children, and in the wake of his wife’s death the year after Edward VIII’s, he asked to leave work every day at 4:00 p.m. to look after them — a request the Duchess of Windsor adamantly refused. As a result, Johnson eventually resigned.
He also worked for Mohamed Al-Fayed
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Years after working for the Windsors, Johnson found himself back at Villa Windsor as an employee of businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed, who purchased the villa after Simpson’s death in an attempt to restore it. Al-Fayed was also the former owner of Harrods department store and the father of Dodi Fayed, who was dating Princess Diana before their fatal car crash in 1997.
“I feel on top of the world,” Johnson was quoted saying at the villa’s reopening party in December 1989. “The restoration is so authentic I expect to see the duchess stepping down the staircase asking, ‘How do I look?’ ”
He died in January 1990
A month after the Windsors’ villa was reopened, Johnson died in Paris in January 1990, according to a now-deleted AP article. He was 69 at the time.
He was described as a “gentlemen’s gentleman”
In his obituary previously shared by AP, Al-Fayed fondly remembered Johnson, saying he “was truly a gentlemen’s gentleman.” He added, “We shall miss him very much.”
