Finally, the time has come. At 8am this morning, all 10 episodes of The Crown dropped on Netflix ready to be devoured by fans and critics of the show alike.
Last night, this was celebrated in spectacular style at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Covent Garden, as a new cast portraying The Royal Family gathered on the red carpet for the World Premiere.
Leading the crowd, as expected, was the fresh faces stepping into the Firm, who have taken the storyline into the Nineties for the latest instalment.
Elizabeth Debicki, who plays Princess Diana, stole the show. She stepped out in a sweeping black strapless gown from Christian Dior’s SS22 Haute Couture collection. The gown featured a swath of black fabric around the neck, and the Australian actress known for her role Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby accessoried it with stacked gold bangles and subtle poppy pin.
The actress takes over from Emma Corrin, whose performance of the former Princess of Wales led to their boom on the fashion scene. Also following Corrin’s lead, Debicki is one of four coverstars on British Vogue this month, and spoke in an interview about the pressure she felt taking on such a beloved role.
“I think in the very beginning that did overwhelm me, the idea of this kind of collective [of Diana disciples] out there,” she said. After the script arrived she was calm. “This isn’t meta. These are characters. It’s a part,” she said. On the carpet she posed with Dominic West, who plays Prince Charles in the series, and looked dapper in a velvet tuxedo and bow tie.
Playing the late Queen Elizabeth II is Imelda Staunton, who nailed power dressing in a black suit from Savile Row’s Huntsman, pairing it with an ivory satin blouse, black ribbon tie and pearl earrings from Japanese jeweller Tasaki.
Also in attendance was Gillian Anderson, who joined the cast for Season 4 as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The American actress opted for a well-tailored, sleeveless denim studded dress from the Chloe SS23 runway.
Actor Khalid Abdalla, who plays Diana’s boyfriend Dodi Fayed, took the opportunity make a statement on the carpet, holding up his palm which read #FREEALAA. It is a reference to the Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah who is currently on hunger strike whilst imprisoned in Egypt. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged on Sunday to raise the issue with the Egyptian government at the COP27 Summit which is currently being hosted in Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh.
Aside from the cast, Emma Weymouth, Marchioness of Bath, made a glamorous entrance in a black, strapless ball gown by Carolina Herrera and black cardigan. Despite her best efforts holding an umbrella, she did get caught in the rain.
Socialite Sabine Getty was similarly striking in a red column dress by upcoming London-based designer Standing Ground. The label joined talent incubator Fashion East during September’s London Fashion Week, and make jersey dresses in pop colours with sculptural rolls.
Michael Stewart, the designer behind it, told us after his first collection: “I want to offer something different from what we usually see from evening wear.” Getty certainly made a strong case.
