Season Five of “The Crown” is just months away.
It’s been almost two years since the fourth season of the Netflix drama debuted and fans have been patiently waiting to see the next chapter in the royal family's lives play out on the small screen.
The anticipation of the Emmy award-winning show's return rose after Queen Elizabeth II died on Sept. 8 at the age of 96.
Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.
The longest-reigning monarch “died peacefully” at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, surrounded by her family. "The Crown" continues to tell the tale of her legacy, as well as her family's.
Season Four took place at the end of the 1970’s with Emmy award-winning actor Olivia Colman as Her Majesty. It also saw the queen’s eldest son, then Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor), marry a young Lady Diana Spencer (Emma Corrin), and introduced Britain’s first female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson) as she led the country into the Falklands War.
With Season Five around the corner, here is everything we know.
Entertainment News
When is Season Five premiering?
No official date has been set, but Season Five of “The Crown” will premiere in November 2022.
In September 2021, Netflix shared a video message from Imelda Staunton, who is taking on the role of Queen Elizabeth II, on the set of “The Crown” announcing the news.
What is Season Five about?
Season Five will focus on the royal family’s life from early-to-mid 1990s. Likely, the plot will focus on Charles and Princess Diana's marital turmoil: The couple separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996, a year before Diana died in a shocking car accident.
A whole new group of actors were tapped to bring to life the royals from that decade.
The season is also set during John Major’s tenure as England’s prime minister from 1990-97.
Who is in 'The Crown' Season Five?
Imelda Staunton ("Harry Potter," "Downton Abbey") is transforming into Queen Elizabeth for the fifth season, succeeding Claire Floy and Olivia Colman, who played younger versions of the monarch.
The first photo of the British actor was revealed in July 2021. “An early glimpse of our new Queen Elizabeth II, Imelda Staunton,” the show wrote on Instagram.
“I will do my utmost to maintain the very high standard that they set. Hopefully, I look calm, collected, and capable. My stomach, meanwhile, is doing somersaults,” Staunton said of taking on the role in a video shared by Netflix last year.
Dominic West is taking on the role of Prince Charles, now King Charles III. He is Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s eldest child and the heir apparent.
Princess Diana will be portrayed by Elizabeth Debicki.
Other notable characters that are set to appear — and their actor counterparts — are:
- Jonathan Pryce as Elizabeth’s husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
- Lesley Manville as Elizabeth’s younger sister, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon.
- Jonny Lee Miller as John Major, Prime Minister.
- Marcia Warren as Elizabeth II’s mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
- Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles, now queen consort
- Claudia Harrison as Princess Anne, Elizabeth and Philip’s second child and only daughter.
- James Murray as Prince Andrew, Elizabeth and Philip’s third child.
- Emma Laird Craig as Sarah, Duchess of York, Andrew’s wife.
- Sam Woolf as Prince Edward, Elizabeth and Philip’s youngest child.
Where is the trailer?
While the cast of "The Crown" has been revealed, audiences haven't seen much of the cast in character: No trailer or official photos from Season Five have been shared ... yet.
Is there a Season Six of 'The Crown'?
Yes, filming for Season Six of “The Crown” is already underway.
On Sept. 2, the young actors taking on the roles of teenage versions of Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, were announced.
Rufus Kampa will play a younger version of Prince William, while Ed McVey will get a shot to play Prince William as an older teen. Making her professional acting debut, Meg Bellamy will play the former Kate Middleton. The actor playing Prince Harry has not been cast.
In wake of Queen Elizabeth’s death, Deadline reported that Peter Morgan, writer “The Crown,” said that the series is “a love letter to her.”
In an email message, he added that he expects production on Season Six “will stop filming out of respect” for a period of time.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
