Following the release of The Crown season five in November last year, a sixth and final season is coming to Netflix. Yep, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and Camilla will be back on our screens for the very last time (in The Crown, anyway), joined by Kate Middleton for the very first time.
Here’s everything we know about the next instalment of the dramatisation of the British Royal family’s life, from the cast taking on the coveted roles to a confirmed release date, and what might be included in the plot.
What is The Crown season 6’s release date?
Announcing the news in a press release, Netflix revealed, “It is not a choice. It is a duty. The final season of The Crown arrives next month. Part 1: 16th November. Part 2: 14th December.”
It is not a choice. It is a duty. The final season of The Crown arrives next month.
Part 1: 16 November
Part 2: 14 December pic.twitter.com/ULOPHeghKh— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) October 9, 2023
The Crown season 6 teaser pictures
We’re glad you asked, because Netflix has shared an exclusive, first look at young William and Kate Middleton, played by Ed McVey and Meg Bellamy. In the pictures, see the future Duke and Duchess of Cambridge walking hand in hand around what looks to be the University of St Andrews.
A first look at Prince William (Ed McVey) and Kate Middleton (Meg Bellamy) from the sixth and ~final~ season of The Crown, coming later this year. pic.twitter.com/1xsZuXEFUC
— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) April 27, 2023
When did The Crown season 6 finish filming?
A Netflix spokesperson confirmed to Cosmopolitan UK season six of The Crown officially wrapped up on 21st April meaning the Royal Family are a step closer to returning to our TV screens and we just can’t wait.
The Crown season 6 cast
The casting will likely follow the previous format of The Crown, which sees the key characters take on two seasons each. That means Imelda Staunton, who was cast as the new Queen Elizabeth II for season five, will film two series like her predecessors Claire Foy and Olivia Coleman, who are reportedly returning for a cameo. Lesley Manville will play Princess Margaret for two seasons of the show, alongside Jonathan Pryce as Prince Phillip and Dominic West as Prince Charles. Elizabeth Debicki will reprise her role as Diana.
Also reprising their roles is Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles, Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Fayed, Salim Daw as Mohamed Al-Fayed, and Bertie Carvel and Lydia Leonard as Tony and Cherie Blair.
Season six will also feature a teenage Prince William and Kate Middleton, who met at St. Andrews University. Meg Bellamy, 19, will play Kate Middleton while Prince William will be played by Ed McVey, 21. Rufus Kampa, 16, will play a younger William, while the actor playing Prince Harry is Luther Ford.
When was The Crown season 6 confirmed?
Back in July 2020, Netflix confirmed The Crown will get a sixth season after all, despite previously saying things will end with season five. The official Netflix account tweeted a confirmation of another season while confirming that it will be the show’s last.
In a statement showrunner Peter Morgan spoke about the decision, saying, “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.”
He continued, “To be clear, Series 6 will not bring us any closer to present-day — it will simply enable us to cover the same period in greater detail.”
What might happen in The Crown season 6?
- Season six covers events from 1997 through to 2005, broadly spanning the tenure of Tony Blair (Bertie Carvel).
- In this time, we watched Princess Diana’s romance with Dodi Fayed unfold (photos of the cast re-enacting their Mediterranean holidays have already been leaked), before their tragic deaths in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997. While the series have confirmed they won’t show the crash itself, it’s likely we will see the impact it had on the world and royal family.
- Other key milestones in this time for the royal family in this time included Prince Edward’s marriage to Sophie Wessex in 1999 and the deaths of the Queen’s sister Princess Margaret and the Queen’s mother in 2002.
- The Crown season 6 will also feature the start of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s romance. A number of TikTokers have shared clips of filming taking place at St Andrews, where William and Kate attended university.
@shark_bateman I have not had wifi on my phone in WEEKS and it is not ideal #uni #eduroam #standrews #wifi #universityofstandrews #college #university ♬ original sound – THEOFFICEFANPAGE
- The public affairs involving prime ministers John Major (1990-97) and Tony Blair (1997-2007) are likely to be shown, including his election.
Interestingly, fans think there might be a flash forward to Queen Elizabeth II watching King Charles take the throne
The upcoming final season of The Crown looks like it may show scenes depicting King Charles’ rise to the British throne. The Metro reported that Imelda Staunton, who plays Queen Elizabeth II, was spotted filming what appears to be flash-forward scenes where the Queen watches on as Charles takes over the throne after her passing.
She was seen walking through a street covered in Union Jack flags and watching a portrait of her at a pub called The Queen’s Head being taken down and replaced with an image of Charles.
The final season was understood to be covering royal history until the 1990s (think the divorce of Charles and Diana and her death) but this leaves us with more questions!
Claire Foy and Olivia Colman will reportedly return
The Crown will reportedly pay the ‘ultimate tribute’ to Queen Elizabeth II in its final season, by bringing back previous actresses Claire Foy and Olivia Colman, who played the Queen in earlier seasons.
A younger ‘wartime’ version of the Queen will also reportedly be depicted by Viola Prettejohn, according to The Sun. The actors are said to be joining Imelda Staunton, and the idea is said to have emerged when Queen Elizabeth died last September.
The move is said to be planned as a sign of “respect and affection” to the late monarch in the final season of the show.
The Crown paused filming out of respect to Queen Elizabeth II
After the sad news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II broke on 9 September 2022, The Crown creator Peter Morgan explained that production on season six “stopped filming out of respect” for the Royal family, for an undetermined period of time.
He said, “The Crown is a love letter to her. I’ve nothing to add for now, just silence and respect. I expect we will stop filming out of respect too.”
Stephen Daldry, who directed some episodes in season one, said in 2016 when The Crown premiered added: “None of us know when that time will come but it would be right and proper to show respect to the Queen. It would be a simple tribute and a mark of respect. She’s a global figure and it’s what we should do.”