We don’t have to wait too much longer for the sixth and final season of “The Crown,” but it’ll play out a little differently this time.
After much anticipation, Netflix released a teaser trailer on Oct. 9 to reveal premiere dates for the two-part season, one half arriving in November and the other the following month. While not much is revealed in the preview, there are poignant nods to the season, which spans decades. Queen Elizabeth II, played by Imelda Staunton, walks past memories gone by, including photos and videos of her younger self played by Olivia Colman and Claire Foy in earlier seasons. With voiceovers about sacrifice, duty, and honor, the hit show is building up to its dramatic conclusion.
On Oct. 26, Netflix released the full trailer for part one. It focuses on the last months of Princess Diana’s life and the immediate fallout after her death – including the planning for her funeral. The haunting footage is punctuated with a cover of Tears for Fears’s “Mad World.”
As for what year during which the series will end, the streamer has dropped some hints. On Sept. 4, Netflix released a photo of an order of service from King Charles and Queen Camilla’s nuptials, confirming that it’ll at least take us up to their wedding in 2005. The streaming platform captioned the image, “After six seasons, seven years and three casts, ‘The Crown’ comes to an end later this year. We’ll be back with more soon, but here’s a hint at what’s to come in our final season.” Netflix dropped more first-look photos on Oct. 16, giving us glimpses at Elizabeth Debicki’s Princess Diana, Rufus Kampa’s Prince William, Fflyn Edwards’s Prince Harry, and more key figures.
Previously, Netflix revealed that viewers will see Prince William’s days at the University of St. Andrews, where he famously met Kate Middleton as a student. University-era William is played by Ed McVey in the series, while Kate is portrayed by Meg Bellamy.
“The Crown”‘s upcoming final season is not without controversy. In the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September 2022, the show announced that it was halting production out of respect for the late royal. Series creator Peter Morgan told Deadline via email at the time, “‘The Crown’ is a love letter to her and I’ve nothing to add for now, just silence and respect. I expect we will stop filming out of respect, too.” They paused filming for a week before continuing on.
But quite a few Brits have expressed that they think the show should’ve already ended. Helena Bonham Carter – who starred in seasons three and four – told The Guardian in February, “I should be careful here too, but I don’t think they should carry on, actually. I’m in it and I loved my episodes, but it’s very different now. When ‘The Crown’ started it was a historic drama, and now it’s crashed into the present. But that’s up to them.”
The show’s last season is expected to cover at least some of the 2000s, but it’s still unclear if it will end before Queen Elizabeth’s death and King Charles’s coronation.
Read on for everything we know about “The Crown” season six so far.
