The late Nineties was undoubtedly the most shocking chapter in modern royal history – that is until the recent Harry and Meghan debacle: Princess Diana was killed in a car crash, the public condemned the palace for responding badly, her young sons had to navigate adolescence without their mother, and the tumultuous period concluded with the marriage between Prince Charles and Camilla in 2005.
Now this period will be depicted in the final season of The Crown. And, after over a year's wait, this week the first part of the show's final ever chapter will be landing on Netflix.
There have been dozens of questions flying around online about the new season, which we've answered earlier this month, such as who are the real-life figures set to feature in the new series, who has played The Crown's characters best, what happened in Princess Diana's final hours, what will be the big events and storylines of the next season and what do the royals actually think about the hit TV show?
For the basic questions: when will the show be released, and who will play the season six's leading characters, Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana, look below.
When is the show's release date?
The first part of The Crown season six will be released this Thursday, November 14. It will consist of four episodes. The Crown season six part two will be released on December 14 and will consist of six episodes.
Who plays Queen Elizabeth II?
Imelda Staunton returns to play Queen Elizabeth in season six. The Oscar-nominated 67-year-old actor, who is perhaps best known globally for her portrayal of Professor Umbridge in Harry Potter, will play our late Queen as she guided the country through one of its darkest periods.
As well as showing the Queen's royal duties, the show will delve into her thoughts on personal matters – the show has the Queen wondering whether she has been a good mother. During this period too, her popularity took a dive due to the public’s sympathy with Diana and the outpouring of grief at her death.
The monarchy's response to the tragedy (keeping the princes in Balmoral and not flying the Buckingham Palace flag at half-mast) was deemed 'cold' and out of touch, prompting the Queen to travel down to London and make an emergency broadcast on September 5, the day before Diana’s funeral. In it, she praised Diana, calling her an “exceptional and gifted human being”; as a result, much of the public hostility dissipated.
Speaking about stepping up to the role last November, Staunton said: “I think the challenge that I felt for myself — the extra challenge, if there wasn’t enough on my plate — was to be the queen that people recognize much more now, the older queen. Claire Foy’s [version] was almost a costume drama because it seemed so long ago, and then Olivia Colman’s was, again, like a period piece. [This season] just feels so much more present. I thought, ‘I can’t fool anyone now’.”
Who plays Diana, Princess of Wales?
Elizabeth Debicki will reprise her role as Princess Diana. 33-year-old Australian actor Debicki (The Great Gatsby, Widows, Tenet) picked up the baton from Emma Corrin last season.
In season six she will play Princess Diana at her most vulnerable, defiant and desperate: in the Nineties, Diana’s life spiralled. The Princess tried to break free from the Palace, announcing in 1993 that she planned to retreat from public life. But her withdrawal didn’t last long: in 1995, she took part in the infamous Panorama interview that shook the world. Several key relationships ended: she separating from, and then divorced, Princes Charles. Then, a two-year, loving relationship with surgeon Hasnat Khan ended in 1997, leaving her heartbroken.
Shortly thereafter, she accepted an invitation from billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed to stay at his villa in the south of France, where it is thought she began her famous relationship with his son Dodi. A few months later, the pair were tragically killed in Paris after the driver of the car they were in lost control while being pursued by paparazzi.
During the final years of her life Diana was hounded by the press and found trying to conduct even a slightly normal life near-impossible. Speaking to Netflix, Debicki said that, even more so after filming, she empathised with the Princess: “At times it’s almost like an anomalistic response to being pursued, by that many actors playing the press, because there’s nowhere you can go and you only have to be in a situation like that for about a minute, before you realize this is completely unbearable,” said Debicki.
