All good things must come to an end, and that also goes for Netflix’s blockbuster TV series The Crown, which is set to air its final season later this year.
Starting in 2016, the show has retold decades of regal history (from Queen Elizabeth’s accession to the throne in 1952 to the present day), won multiple awards, and launched the careers of actors including Claire Foy, Vanessa Kirby and Emma Corrin. Along the way, we’ve seen constitutional crises, ill-advised weddings, prime ministers come and go and public mood shift against the royal family.
Throughout it all, the Queen has been the constant, and if season five covered her annus horribilis, 1992 (the year in which two of her children divorced and Windsor Castle burned down), what’s in store for season six? We break down what we know.
What will the plot be?
The show’s logline lays things out: “a relationship blossoms between Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed before a fateful car journey has devastating consequences. Prince William tries to integrate back into life at Eton in the wake of his mother’s death as the monarchy has to ride the wave of public opinion. As she reaches her Golden Jubilee, the Queen reflects on the future of the monarchy with the marriage of Charles and Camilla and the beginnings of a new Royal fairytale in William and Kate.”
The previous season of The Crown covered the years leading up to 1997 and ended with Princess Diana accepting an invitation from Mohamed Al-Fayed to spend summer at his house in St Tropez. This is when she became romantically involved with his son, Dodi – the pair died later that year, in August. It seems likely that season six will cover that holiday, and that the lead up to and fallout from Princess Diana’s tragic death will dominate.
After six seasons, seven years and three casts, @TheCrownNetflix comes to an end later this year.
— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) September 4, 2023
We’ll be back with more soon, but here’s a hint at what’s to come in our final season. pic.twitter.com/zHbeqEqqWv
Pictures have also aired of scenes depicting Prince William and Kate Middleton (the pair met when they were both students at the University of St Andrews in the early Noughties). We may even see a glimpse of Chelsy Davy, given that she and Prince Harry dated between 2004 and 2011. To round things off, Netflix has also hinted that we’ll be seeing at least some of Prince (now King) Charles and Camilla’s 2005 wedding, which certainly hints that the show will run up until then. Variety has previously reported that Claudia Harrison, who plays Princess Anne, said that the wedding was the final scene the cast filmed.
Will it cover the death of Princess Diana?
Yes it will, but the show’s director, Peter Morgan, has previously said that the crash won’t be shown on-screen.
A source told Deadline in 2022 that The Crown would instead focus on “the run-up: the car leaving The Ritz after midnight with paparazzi in pursuit,” followed by “the aftermath with the British Ambassador to France swinging into action with the Foreign Office and then the subsequent constitutional aftermath.” As per Deadline, the show will also show Prince Charles travelling to Paris via royal jet to return Diana’s body to London.
Photos from the set also show Elizabeth Debicki’s Diana relaxing in the Mediterranean sun in a brightly patterned swimsuit, which does suggest that Diana’s romantic holiday with Dodi Al-Fayed will feature in the show.
Who will be starring?
As is The Crown’s way, season six will introduce a host of new names alongside a couple of old faces. Newscomers Rufus Kampa and Ed McVey will be playing Prince William at fifteen and in his early twenties respectively; Meg Bellamy will also making her series debut as Kate Middleton.
They will be joined by some familiar faces: Dominic West as Prince Charles, Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana, and Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth. Jonathan Pryce and Lesley Manville will also be reprising their roles as the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Margaret. Both she and the Queen Mother died in 2002, something else the series will undoubtedly touch on.
It was also revealed earlier this year that Claire Foy and Olivia Colman, who played younger versions of Queen Elizabeth, would be making cameo appearances alongside Imelda Staunton as “a tribute to the late Queen.”
When is The Crown Season 6 release date?
Unusually for The Crown, this last season will be split into two parts: the first one will air on Netflix from November 16, followed by the month’s break. The second part will air on December 14.
Do we have a trailer?
Of sorts: Netflix released new footage of the show as part of the official ‘Date Announcement’ teasing when the show would drop, which we’ve added to the top of the article. We’ll keep you updated the minute a trailer does drop, though.
