The latest season of Netflix’s acclaimed series “The Crown,” which follows the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II, debuts on Wednesday, just two months after the queen died at the age of 96. In this fifth season, created by Peter Morgan, the series has progressed to the 1990s, with Imelda Staunton stepping into the role of the queen in her 60s, taking over for Olivia Colman and Claire Foy, who each put in two seasons in the role.
While some of the real-life figures depicted in the series have already taken umbrage with Morgan's narrative liberties this season, there’s excitement around the new princess on the block, as Elizabeth Debicki steps into the role of Princess Diana, played previously by Emma Corrin in Season 4. Dominic West takes over the role of Prince Charles from Josh O’Connor (who won an Emmy for his performance). Olivia Williams plays Camilla Parker Bowles, as the series delves into the crumbling marriage of Charles and Diana and the attendant royal scandals.
Debicki takes on the newly liberated Lady Di in the wake of several high-profile projects about the princess, including Kristen Stewart’s Oscar-nominated performance in Pablo Larrain’s hallucinatory fever dream “Spencer,” inspired by a pre-divorce Christmas at Sandringham in 1991. Though the film skews more haunting horror film than traditional biopic, Stewart is undeniable in the role. If you happen to have missed “Spencer,” catch up with it streaming on Hulu or Kanopy.
