Dominic West's son Senan will play Prince William in The Crown

While fans of The Crown had hoped the series would run until the present day, creator Peter Morgan has confirmed that the series will now end with seasons five and six, taking the royal family into the early 2000s.

But, it seems that fans might be waiting longer for the next installment than they'd like. After season four wrapped in 2020, The Crown's production team took a break filming until June this year, which was actually the planned schedule not down to Covid-19, so fans will have to wait until 2022 for series five. Of course, this isn't the first time The Crown has taken a long break; there was a two-year wait between seasons two and three while they changed casts - which they will do again for the final two series.

It was previously announced that season five would be the final installment, but in July last year, writer Peter Morgan's initial plan of running the series for six seasons was reinstated.

"As we started to discuss the storylines for series five, 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," Morgan explained, along with official confirmation from Netflix.

Cindy Holland, Netflix's VP of original content added: "The Crown keeps raising the bar with each new season. We can't wait for audiences to see the upcoming fourth season, and we're proud to support Peter's vision and the phenomenal cast and crew for a sixth and final season."

Here's what we know so far about season five and season six:

The cast

Imelda Staunton will play The Queen

Imelda Staunton will take over from Oscar-winner Olivia Colman for season five and six. The Bafta-winning and Oscar-nominated actress - who starred in 2019's Downton Abbey - said of her casting: "I have loved watching The Crown from the very start.

"As an actor it was a joy to see how both Claire Foy and Olivia Colman brought something special and unique to Peter Morgan's scripts. I am genuinely honoured to be joining such an exceptional creative team and to be taking The Crown to its conclusion."

Staunton won a Bafta for her role in Vera Drake, and is also known for Shakespeare in Love and for playing Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter franchise.

Lesley Manville will play Princess Margaret

Lesley Manville, previously Oscar-nominated for her role in The Phantom Thread, will replace Helen Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret for the two final series of the show.

"I could not be happier to be playing Princess Margaret," Manville said. "The baton is being passed on from two formidable actresses and I really don't want to let the side down."

Manville is also known for her roles in Mike Leigh's Vera Drake - alongside Imelda Staunton - and Another Year, as well as leading BBC2 comedy drama Mum.

Jonathan Pryce will play Prince Philip

Jonathan Pryce will play Prince Philip, taking over from fellow Game of Thrones star Tobias Menzies.

The Welsh 73-year-old, Oscar-nominated last year for The Two Popes, is also known for his role as High Sparrow in GoT, playing a Bond villain in Tomorrow Never Dies, and starring opposite Glenn Close in 2017's The Wife.

Elizabeth Debicki will play Princess Diana

The Night Manager's Elizabeth Debicki has been cast as the late Princess Diana, replacing Emma Corrin. The actress is also known for her roles in The Great Gatsby and The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.

"Princess Diana's spirit, her words and her actions live in the hearts of so many," Debicki said in a statement. "It is my true privilege and honour to be joining this masterful series, which has had me absolutely hooked from episode one."

Netflix released a first glimpse as Debicki as Princesss Diana, showing her laying on a sofa – and the likeness to Princess Diana is uncanny. Debicki replaces Emma Corrin, who made her debut as the young princess in The Crown in season four.

Olivia Williams will play Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall

Olivia Williams will take over from Emerald Fennell as the Duchess of Cornwall, who was introduced as a character in season four. According to reports, Williams took part in an on-screen chemistry test with Dominic West - who is playing Prince Charles - before she was offered the role.

The British actress has had a successful career spanning theatre, film and television, with roles in the 1996 TV film adaptation of Emma, as well as The Sixth Sense, An Education and The Ghost Writer - for which she won much critical acclaim.

Dominic West will play Prince Charles

Dominic West is to play Prince Charles, taking over from Josh O'Connor, who won a Golden Globe for his turn as the young royal.

West is perhaps best known to audiences for his television work, having played central roles in hit shows The Wire and The Affair, as well as taking on the role of serial killer Fred West. He's also starred in films including Pride and Colette, and will next appear opposite Lily James in The Pursuit of Love.

Netflix released a snapshot of West as Prince Charles, dressed in a dapper suit with his hair styled in Charles' signature combed over curls.

His real-life son Senan West will play the Duke of Cambridge Prince William

West's 13-year-old son Senan West will make his acting debut as Prince William, alongside his father West playing Prince Charles.

According to Variety, Senan, who submitted a taped audition via his agent, will reportedly be playing a "slightly older" Prince William in the final episodes of the season as he begins to mature into a young man.

In season four, both Prince Harry and William made brief appearances as infants, with Lucas Barber-Grant playing the young William last season. It hasn't been confirmed whether he will continue the role for the earlier episodes.

Gillian Anderson will return as Margaret Thatcher

Series four will see the former Prime Minister introduced into the show, played by acting heavyweight Gillian Anderson. She gained international fame for her role as Dana Scully in long-running series The X Files, and is also known for starring alongside Jamie Dornan in The Fall, and, more recently, for hit Netflix series Sex Education.

It was announced that Anderson would take on the role of Thatcher in September last year, confirming months of speculation.

"I am so excited to be joining the cast and crew of The Crown and to have the opportunity to portray such a complicated and controversial woman," Anderson said at the time.

It has not yet been confirmed who will play the Queen Mother, Prince Charles, Camilla Parker-Bowles, Prince Andrew or Sarah Ferguson.

Which storylines will feature in seasons five and six?

Season five picks up from 1990 - the beginning of a very dark decade for the royal family - and is expected to explore the year of '92, which Her Majesty has previously decried as her "annus horribilis".

During a speech in November 1992 to mark the 40th anniversary of her accession, the Queen said: "1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an annus horribilis."

In1992, Charles and Diana separated, which was followed by Diana's sensational portrayal in Andrew Morton's biography Diana: Her True Story In Her Own Words. The book detailed the late princess' battle with bulimia and depression, and Prince Charles' betrayal with Camilla Parker Bowles.

Also that year, the Princess Royal, the Queen's only daughter, divorced Captain Mark Phillips (father to Peter and Zara) after he fathered a daughter during an affair in 1985. Princess Anne went on to marry Commander Timothy Laurence that same year.

Sarah, the Duchess of York, freshly separated from Prince Andrew, appeared splashed across the tabloids topless while having her toes sucked by her 'financial advisor' John Bryan, a Texan billionaire.

To cap off a string of disastrous events, a fire broke out in Windsor Castle which caused severe damage to the Queen's residence.

How exactly the timeline of season five and six will be split has yet to be confirmed. It's expected that one of the series will include Prince Charles and Diana's divorce in 1996, the Queen's response to the devastating Dunblane massacre that year, and the backlash Prince Philip caused after he publicly objected to a new law banning most handguns in the wake of the shooting at Dunblane primary school, which had resulted in the murder of 16 school children and their teacher.

The events surrounding Princess Diana's tragic death aged 36 in a car crash in Paris in 1997 is also likely to feature in The Crown's final seasons. The late princess was with her partner Dodi Fayed, an Egyptian film producer and the son of billionaire Mohamed El Fayed. Dodi also died in the crash.

Diana's death provoked widespread public mourning, and on 6 September, one million people lined the streets of London for her funeral.

Other historical events likely to be included are President Nelson Mandela's state visit to the UK, and Tony Blair coming into power in 1997.

As the final season will likely encapsulate the early 2000s, season six could see the Queen break protocol to respond to terror attack 9/11. On 13 September, 2001, Her Majesty authorised the American anthem The Star Spangled Banner to play during Buckingham Palace's Changing of the Guard.

It's speculated that The Crown's sixth season will also depict the deaths of Princess Margaret, who died in February 2002 of a stroke aged 72, and the Queen Mother a month later in March of pneumonia aged 101. It may also feature the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla, which took place in 2005.

When will season five and season six air?

Season five won't start filming until June 2021, and the sixth and final season will begin production in 2022.

A source told Deadline that production has been far from straightforward due to its ambition, mix of studio and set-piece location shoots. With that in mind, it's likely that season five will arrive in 2022, and season 6 will follow in 2023.

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