All interviews quoted in this article were conducted in April 2023.

“The crown is a symbol of permanence. It’s something you are, not what you do.”

In the brand-new teaser for The Crown’s sixth and final season, Claire Foy (who plays Queen Elizabeth in the first two seasons of the series) declares the durability of the role of monarch, but The Crown will prepare to take its final bow on Nov. 16 when Season 6 premieres on Netflix — marking the end of a groundbreaking era in television.

The final season will be released in two parts, with the first four episodes premiering on Nov. 16 and the last six episodes on Dec. 14. In the date announcement teaser, we see Queen Elizabeth II (who has been played at different times by Foy, Olivia Colman, and Imelda Staunton over six seasons) walking through time, from the moment she ascends the throne to the series’ concluding chapter. 

The Crown premiered on Nov. 14, 2016. Set in the 1940s and ’50s, the first season explores the new marriage between Princess Elizabeth (Foy) and Lt. Philip Mountbatten (Matt Smith), Elizabeth’s coronation after the premature death of her father, and her subsequent adjustment to her role as queen. Foy and Smith continued in their roles as Elizabeth and Philip throughout Seasons 1 and 2, before passing the mantle to Colman and Tobias Menzies for Seasons 3 and 4. Staunton and Jonathan Pryce assumed the parts of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in Season 5 and will close out the series in the roles in Season 6.

When it debuted, The Crown was a pioneer in casting, its ensemble changing every two seasons. This creative decision allowed each new era to feel like a fresh take in the saga, with viewers following the same characters throughout history but inhabited by different actors witnessing the evolving social, cultural, and generational landscape around them. The cast changes have also allowed the show to serve as a vehicle for introducing new talent and creating stars — the series launched the careers of now-household names Foy, Josh O’Connor (Prince Charles), Vanessa Kirby (Princess Margaret), Emma Corrin (Princess Diana), and, when Season 6 debuts, Ed McVey and Meg Bellamy (who play Prince William and Kate Middleton, respectively) and Luther Ford who takes on the role of teenage Prince Harry.

Over the years (and what will end up being more than 60 hours of television) the series has also starred huge names such as John Lithgow, Helena Bonham Carter, Charles Dance, Matthew Goode, Gillian Anderson, Emerald Fennell, and Jonny Lee Miller, among others.

The British royal family has long been a subject of fascination and intrigue, but over the course of six seasons of television, The Crown’s creator, Peter Morgan, has humanized these public figures. Sparking a new interest in the royal family and British culture, the series saw a spike in search around lesser known characters, storylines, royal locations, and of course, the fashion. Not only does the show portray historical personages and events through a unique dramatic lens, it has also made history along the way. To this day, The Crown is one of the most decorated UK productions of all time, winning Netflix’s first Emmy for Best Drama — and sweeping all seven major categories at the 2021 Emmys.

As the first poster reveals, Season 6 will continue with Princess Diana’s (Elizabeth Debicki) story, with the first four episodes exploring the events surrounding her tragic death in 1997. 

In the final six episodes, we’ll see Queen Elizabeth II (Staunton) reflect on her reign and look ahead to a time when her successors will take the throne. Expect royal wedding bells for Prince Charles (Dominic West) and Camilla (Olivia Williams), as well as a budding university romance between Prince William and Kate Middleton. Also joining the cast for Part 1 are Rufus Kampa and Fflyn Edwards as young Princes William and Harry, respectively, and Ford as teenage Harry in Part 2.

Among the returning cast for the final season are Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Claudia Harrison as Princess Anne, Pryce as Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Bertie Carvel as Tony Blair, Salim Daw as Mohamed al-Fayed, and Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Fayed. 

Before the show ends, revisit all the historical events of the past five seasons with our comprehensive royal timeline. 

The Crown Season 6, Part 1 premieres Nov. 16 on Netflix.

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