5 major historical moments that will feature in The Crown season six
Since its premiere in 2016, The Crown has been one of the most decorated and talked-about series on television. The Netflix royal drama has won a slew of awards, sparked debate and conversation surrounding the monarchy being portrayed on screen and has even been watched by a few royals themselves.
So, with its final chapter comes the end of an era. After two lots of cast rotations, six seasons, and many episodes filled with drama and tension, The Crown will be no more.
But the goodbye is being prolonged somewhat thanks to Netflix recently announcing that they would be dropping the final instalment in two parts across November and December. Part one, consisting of four episodes, will land on the streaming platform on 16 November. The remaining six episodes will be released on 14 December.
Netflix has also shared some insight into what viewers can expect to see on screen in the final ten episodes. Given the show is a dramatisation of real-life events, here are five major moments from history that will be depicted on screen in The Crown season six…
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Tony Blair elected as Prime Minister
At the end of season six, we saw a brief clip of Bertie Carvel and Lydia Leonard in character as Prime Minister Tony Blair and Cherie Blair respectively after Labour won in a landslide at the 1997 general election.
The royal drama has, throughout its six seasons, focused heavily on politics and the changing of governments over the years, so its likely that the new series will include a dramatized insight into Blair's government, from his acquisition to Number 10 to his divisive decision on the Iraq war.
The death of Princess Diana
We know that part one will pick up in 1997, and we know that Elizabeth Debicki and Khalid Abdalla were spotted filming scenes in Paris in character as Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed, therefore the tragic death of Princess Diana will be touched upon in The Crown season six.
The Crown season five recap
Prince Charles and Princess Diana marriage breakdown
Season five began with Princess Diana devastated that their second honeymoon was halted abruptly by Princes Charles.
"Queen Victoria Syndrome"
Prince Charles met with the Prime Minister after a published poll about the public's opinion of the monarchy. The idea of The Prince's Trust was born.
Princess Diana In Her Own Words
Princess Diana was approached by journalist Andrew Morton to write the book, In Her Own Words.
Annus Horribilis
The Queen's 'Annus Horribilis' was in 1992 following a fire at Windsor Castle, and the breakdown of two of her son's marriages.
An intercepted phone call makes the news
A phone call between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles was intercepted by journalists and published in a newspaper.
Panorama Interview
The infamous and now suspect Panorama interview with Princess Diana by Martin Bashir aired much to the royal family's dismay.
It's expected that the late Princess of Wales's death in August 1997 will be handled with sensitivity in the episodes given the tragedy surrounding the circumstances of her untimely passing. In fact, during a TV panel at the Edinburgh Festival earlier this year, an executive producer on the show, Suzanne Mackie, shed light on how the show will handle the monumental moment in history.
"The show might be big and noisy, but we're not. We're thoughtful people and we're sensitive people," she said. "And so there was a very, very careful, long, long, long conversation about how we do it – and I hope, you know, the audience will judge it in the end, but I think it's been delicately, thoughtfully recreated."
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The turn of the millennium
The Crown has always referenced big moments in history, so the turn of the millennium is likely to feature. Netflix has also stated that part two will focus on the early 2000s and that Queen Elizabeth II is looking ahead to the future of the monarchy, what it represents in a new century, and how it reflects the ever-changing political and social landscape.
It's likely that the Golden Jubilee in 2002 will be referenced, which marked the 50th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne. However, the drama has never shied away from touching upon difficult periods, too. Therefore, other events that might get a mention include the end of Bill Clinton's presidency, the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the aforementioned Iraq war.
Royal deaths
Although The Crown insists it is a dramatization, the moments in history they have touched upon have remained, for the most part, fairly accurate.
Princess Margaret has been a central character throughout The Crown's run. First, the royal was portrayed by Vanessa Kirby before Helen Bonham Carter took over for seasons three and four. For the fifth season, Lesley Manville portrayed the Princess and will return for season six.
But given the show will focus on the early 2000s, there's a high chance we'll sadly see a depiction of the death of the Queen's sister. Princess Margaret died on 9 February 2002.
This logic could also apply to the Queen Mother who died not long after her daughter, on 30 March 2002. In season five, the Queen Mother was played by Marion Bailey.
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Prince William and Kate Middleton's love story
Fans of The Crown were thrilled when they saw official photos of Ed McVey and Meg Bellamy in character as Prince William and Kate Middleton. Part two of season six will focus on the young couple's early love story from meeting at St Andrew's University to becoming an official item.
The Crown has also confirmed that a university-age Prince Harry will appear in part two and will be played by Luther Ford. Therefore it's likely that viewers will be shown Prince Harry in the early 2000s, shortly before he began his military career.
Wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles
The now-King Charles and Queen Camilla's love story has also been a central topic in The Crown. Peter Morgan, the creator behind the Emmy Award-winning show, has maintained throughout his script writing that he intends to finish the fictional drama in the early 2000s after previously stating that he did not want to write about royals in the modern day.
This was reiterated when The Crown confirmed that the show would be finishing with the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. The official social media accounts for the Netflix show shared a photo of the order of service from the wedding of the then-Duke and Duchess of Cornwall following their marriage in April 2005, confirming the milestone moment is where The Crown is choosing to end its narrative.