Lola From 'The Crown' Is Probably Loosely Based On *This* Person From Will's Past
Calling all fans of The Crown: the second part of season 6 is now streaming on Netflix, and the new installment does not disappoint. The episodes center around Prince Harry and Prince William's experience after Diana's death, including William's first year in college and his fling with a fellow St. Andrews classmate named Lola Airedale-Cavendish-Kincaid.
While William and Kate Middleton's budding romance takes shape throughout the second part of the season, viewers first see the handsome young prince canoodling with a woman named Lola in episode 7, Alma Matter. The two meet at a party during his first semester at St. Andrews University and quickly start to date, according to Vanity Fair.
In the episode, Kate and William are still just acquaintances, and when she sees the new couple together, and asks a friend who the girl is. The friend responds with Lola's very long name and adds, “from a family so posh they had to name it thrice.” It doesn't last long, though. William soon tells Kate that things are over between them.
But who is Lola Airedale-Cavendish-Kincaid? And is she even a real person? Here's everything you need to know about the new character below.
Is Lola a real person?
Yes and no. Lola Airedale-Cavendish-Kincaid is a fictional person, but the character is likely very loosely based on an ex-girlfriend of William's, Carly Massy-Birch, per Vanity Fair. She attended university alongside William at St. Andrews, and studied english and creative writing.
Carly grew up in Devon, in South West England, and her family ran a farm and camping park near Axminster, TheCinemaholic reported.
Carly briefly dated Prince William at St. Andrews
Prince William and Carly dated during his first semester of school in 2001, though she was one year ahead of him. The two met at an audition for Franny and Zooey, by JD Salinger, according to TheCinemaholic. The two apparently got involved with each other quickly, but dated only for about six to eight weeks.
Carly's parents, Mimi and Hugh Massy-Birch, confirmed their daughters romance with William, saying that they were "an item" who dated for a couple months while in school, according to Daily Mail UK.
In 2010, Carly told Vanity Fair, "I'm a real country bumpkin. I think that was why we had a connection. William was in the year below, and we just happened to meet through the general St. Andrews melee." She added, "It's such a small place that it was impossible not to bump into William, and after a while there was nothing weird about seeing him around."
When speaking about her relationship with William, Carly added, "We got on well, but I think we would have got on well even if nothing had been going on romantically. It was very much a university thing, just a regular university romance."
She told Daily Mail UK that the two broke up at 'Raisin Weekend,' a weekend that involves drinking and a "foam fight" in formalwear.
She got into acting for a while
After college, William and Kate were still together, and Carly was focused on an acting career, according to her mother, who told Daily Mail UK that "she just wants to get on with her acting."
"She is based in London and has appeared in a few plays, including some on Radio 4," her mom shared.
Where is she now?
It's not exactly clear where Carly is today. And it's unclear if she still remains in touch with the royals, according to Daily Mail UK.
For now, you can catch more of William's university shenanigans on The Crown season 6, streaming now on Netflix.
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