Netflix has offered the first official look at the sixth and final season of The Crown, its hugely popular series focusing on the British royal family and spanning six decades worth of political history. For the first time in the show’s history, the series will be released in two instalments, debuting first on November 16th before releasing the final six episodes on December 14th.
Created by acclaimed British screenwriter and playwright Peter Morgan, the show debuted its first series in 2016, featuring Claire Foy as a young Queen Elizabeth II and Matt Smith as King Phillip. The Crown then established a format which would feature its main cast for two seasons before boasting new actors to portray the main characters in the later years of its life.
After initially tracking the events of Elizabeth from her wedding in 1947 to her ascension to the throne following the death of her father, King George VI in 1955, the second series covered the events between 1956 and 1964, which involved the Suez Crisis and the resignation of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.
Seasons 3 to 4 featured British institution Olivia Coleman taking over the role of Queen Elizabeth II, introducing fan favourite Gillian Anderson as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and covering the events between 1964 to 1990. Early in the fourth season, Lady Diana was introduced.
This sixth and final season will see Imelda Staunton reprise her role from the fifth season as Queen Elizabeth II, and introduce esteemed British actor Bertie Carvel as Prime Minister Tony Blair. It’s expected to depict the beginning of Blair’s premiership, the death of Princess Diana, the wedding between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles and the blossoming romance between Prince William and Kate Middleton.
The series marks the first production of the show following Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September 2022. Speaking about her role as Princess Diana, the second actor to portray her, Elizabeth Debicki, told Variety: “I never really understood what was lost because I hadn’t experienced the impact that she had on the public…”
She continued, explaining: “She’s taught me a lot; I think she lived her life with an enormous amount of courage and with a strong love ethic. She really loved deeply, and she needed to be loved in a way that I don’t know she ever really found.”
Watch the first trailer below.
