Ready for more? The Crown has captivated viewers since its first season dropped in November 2016 — and the drama is showing no signs of slowing down.
The Netflix hit began by recounting the story of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022, and her decades-long reign, as well as her marriage to Prince Philip, who died in April 2021. As the series continued, new story lines were introduced, including the whirlwind romance and messy split between Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana. With the show rapidly approaching the modern era, creator Peter Morgan has carefully mapped out the topics covered in the upcoming fifth season.
“No one’s trying to censor me. No one’s ever tried to correct what I do or censor what I do,” Morgan told The Hollywood Reporter in August 2020, admitting that he’s met with former palace aides “on an entirely informal and impersonal basis” to brief them on what’s to come in future episodes. “I don’t want anything to do with the palace and the palace wants nothing to do with me. … I only write what I want to write.”
In January 2020, Morgan announced that Netflix renewed the period piece for a fifth and final season, despite originally being slated for six installments. At the time, he felt like he’d found “the perfect time and place to stop,” but six months later, the streaming service gave season 6 the green light.
“As we started to discuss the storylines for series 5, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons,” the screenwriter told Deadline in July 2020.
The opportunity to continue the story for a sixth season will “enable us to cover the same period in greater detail,” but likely “will not bring us any closer to present-day,” he clarified, hinting that neither Prince Harry nor Meghan Markle will be featured in future seasons.
After season 4 explored what went on between Charles, Diana and Duchess Camilla behind palace walls, fans expect the upcoming episodes to cover the Princess of Wales’ controversial BBC interview and her 1997 death. Emma Corrin, who earned the Golden Globe for Best Actress — Television Series Drama for her performance as Diana, will not be returning for season 5.
Though the aftermath of their shocking 2020 step back won’t play out on the small screen, Harry and Meghan are some of many British royal family members to weigh in on The Crown‘s portrayal of royal life. After learning that the Sussexes had watched a bit of the Netflix series, Corrin told TheWrap it was “interesting” to hear their perspective.
“Personally, I try not to engage with it because I feel like it’s a slippery slope and if I start worrying about who’s seen it and what they think, it becomes stressful,” she said in June 2021, adding that she could “sit comfortably” knowing the series wasn’t trying to be a documentary. “It’s its own thing. But in a way, I suppose it can never be completely detached from the reality that it touches and that it’s influenced by.”
Keep scrolling for more details about the historical drama’s fifth season:
