Overview
It's the season that originally wasn't going to happen, telling the story that's still ongoing IRL, wrapping up a seven-year run for a star-studded regal drama that's proven a royal hit. On Thursday, December 14, The Crown will come to an end with the final six episodes in its sixth and last go-around. The focus in the just-dropped trailer for this big wave goodbye: the changing attitudes towards the British monarchy and what Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda Staunton, Downton Abbey: A New Era) sacrificed when she became a sovereign.
The Peter Morgan (The Queen)-created show's farewell began in mid-November, with the release of the first four episodes of season six. Accordingly, this final run also began by paying plenty of attention to the relationship between Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) and Dodi Fayed (Khalid Abdalla, Moon Knight), including the tragic events of their trip to Paris. Now, the remainder of the season keeps exploring the aftermath to take the award-winning series to its conclusion.
On the way: Prince William (Ed McVey) going back to Eton, then attending St Andrew's University and forming a crush on Kate Middleton (Meg Bellamy). The Crown's last hurrah will also include Princess Margaret's (Lesley Manville, Mrs Harris Goes to Paris) stroke and lifestyle changes, and the Queen entering her ninth decade, as well as what that means for Prince Charles (Dominic West, The Pursuit of Love).
Stepping into William and Kate's shoes, McVey and Bellamy are both screen debutants playing a couple whose tale has never been away from the headlines — and digging into the part of this narrative that even those with zero interest in the royal family know from such incessant coverage.
Season six's cast also includes Luther Ford (short Dream Between) as Prince Harry, Olivia Williams (The Father) as Camilla Parker Bowles, Jonathan Pryce (Slow Horses) as Prince Philip, Claudia Harrison (Delicious) as Princess Anne and Bertie Carvel (Dagliesh) as Tony Blair.
When The Crown began, it kicked off with Queen Elizabeth II's life from her marriage to Prince Philip back in 1947. The first season made its way to the mid-50s, the second season leapt into the 60s, and season three spanned all the way up to the late 70s. In season four, the royal family hit the 80s, while season five hopped to the 90s.
News around the show's fifth and sixth seasons has changed a few times over the past few years. At the beginning of 2020, Netflix announced that it would end the royal drama after its fifth season. Then, the streaming platform had a change of heart, revealing it would continue the series for a sixth season after all.
Check out the trailer for the second part of The Crown season six below:
The second part of The Crown's sixth season will hit Netflix on Thursday, December 14.
Images: Daniel Escale, Netflix / Leftbank.