In 2016, Netflix launched the TV drama “The Crown,” setting out to chronicle the life and career of Queen Elizabeth II from her royal wedding in 1947 all the way to the 21st century.
As fate would have it, the real world saw the death of the queen a year before the conclusion of the popular television series.
Now, fans of the royal family can enjoy the palace intrigue one last time in the sixth and final season of “The Crown,” which will arrive in two parts. The first four episodes drop this Thursday, Nov. 16, followed by the final six episodes on Dec. 14.
Imelda Staunton returns as Queen Elizabeth after taking over the role in Season 5. While the screen veteran previously earned an Oscar nomination for “Vera Drake” (2005) and an Emmy nomination for “The Girl” (2013), she is best known for the “Harry Potter” franchise, in which she played Professor Dolores Umbridge, the authoritarian bureaucrat sent by the Ministry of Magic to teach “Defense Against the Dark Arts” at Hogwarts.
Staunton is the third actress to portray Queen Elizabeth in “The Crown,” following Claire Foy in Season 1 and 2 and Olivia Colman in Season 3 and 4. The track record bodes well as Foy won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in her second outing (Season 2), as did Olivia Colman for her second attempt (Season 4). If the pattern holds, Staunton could be in for a treat for her second outing the next time awards season rolls around.
Also returning this season is Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana, the classy, independent, transformative figure who became a pop-culture sensation. If you didn’t care for Kristen Stewart’s whispering, brooding approach to the role in the arthouse film “Spencer” (2021), Debicki might be more of your cup of tea, especially now that “The Crown” is entering the bittersweet end of her life before her tragic “Candle in the Wind” death in 1997.
Spanning 1997 to 2005, the final season also includes the death of Elizabeth’s sister Princess Margaret (Lesley Manville). We’ll also see Prince Charles (Dominic West) seek the queen’s blessing to marry his mistress, Camilla Parker Bowles (Olivia Williams), as well as the early relationship of Prince William (Ed McVey) and Kate Middleton (Meg Bellamy). Luther Ford plays Prince Harry, but don’t expect Meghan Markle, who didn’t arrive until 2016.
I’m also curious how the series will handle various political events from the administration of British Prime Minister Tony Blair (Bertie Carvel), considering the time span includes 9/11 in 2001. Will we see his alliance with American President George W. Bush over the controversial Invasion of Iraq in 2003 to depose Saddam Hussein?
In total, the series has won a total of 21 Emmys, including Outstanding TV Drama for Season 4, becoming the first Netflix series to win the top prize after five failed attempts by “House of Cards.” In our post-“Game of Thrones” world, “The Crown” and “Succession” have been the two standard bearers come Emmy night, so with the Roy family saga also ending earlier this year, the closure of “The Crown” this fall marks the end of a television era.
