The forthcoming fifth season of The Crown is coming to Netflix at a rather unusual time: it will be the first series of the fan-favourite Royal drama to be released after the deaths of both Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022 and Prince Philip in April 2021, and the ascension of King Charles III to the throne, marking a new era for the monarchy. Charles and Diana are set to be at the forefront of this new series, which tells the tale of the fateful events of the 1990s, including Diana’s eye-opening Panorama interview with Martin Bashir which was broadcast in 1995.
With a whole new cast including Imelda Staunton taking over the role of Queen Elizabeth II from Olivia Colman, Elizabeth Debicki replacing Emma Corrin as Diana and Dominic West following Josh O’Connor in playing Prince Charles, there’s plenty to look forward to. Season 5 of the Crown begins the story of a rather fraught decade for the Royal Family, as the public openly questions their role in 1990s Britain, a constitutional crisis presents itself as Charles pressures his mother to allow him to divorce Diana, and international affairs, such as the collapse of the USSR, present both obstacles and opportunities.
“I think this series is a great series for unravelling, and she [The Queen] has many issues to deal with which makes for very good writing and, hopefully, very good viewing,” says Imelda Staunton, 66. “I think this series has a lot to offer insofar as there are a lot of things to tackle rather than the Queen going about her duties.”
