That chill crisp in the air means only one thing: The Crown is back, baby. It is that time of the year when Netflix decrees that we stay in, tune into decades-old drama and argue about it afterwards. The sixth and final season of the show will be released in two instalments; the first four episodes will be released on 16 November, followed by the final six on 14 December. But more urgently, which royal stories are we going to be talking about at Christmas?
Netflix has been forthcoming: we will be seeing the wedding between Prince Charles (played by Dominic West) and Camilla Parker Bowles (Olivia Williams). “We want to vindicate them,” Williams told Netflix’s editorial platform Tudum. There will also be an injection of new blood, with the meeting of Prince William (Ed McVey) and Kate Middleton (Meg Bellamy) when they meet at the University of St. Andrews. Series creator, Peter Morgan, told the show’s official podcast says that this “blows the door off” and that you “want to see them” (which is indeed a helpful quality for television). A smartly-edited trailer shows all three actors who have portrayed the Queen – this show’s biggest trick is making you nostalgic for previous seasons – shows the current incarnation, played by Imelda Staunton, talking weepily about “the life [she] put aside”.
Does this all sound rather sympathetic? It does! But despite accusations levelled at the drama from celebrities and historians, The Crown has only ever been good PR for the royal family – especially for international viewers, who remain fascinated with the drama’s aristocratic sheen. It helps to put Britain on the map. (Quite literally: I was walking through Hyde Park recently with a European who pointed out Kensington Palace, which he recognised from the show.) And just over a year since Queen Elizabeth’s death, it seems unlikely that the show will be too critical of the monarch, even if we have to get through a storyline about the death of Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki). It sounds like, with a focus on love-against-all-odds, this season may be more positive than ever. Perhaps its writers and Netflix simply want to end on a scandal-free high.
That urge is understandable. Succession, in royal terms, is usually simple. After Queen Elizabeth’s death, a prince became a king. There was a coronation and a concert; Katy Perry performed. For Netflix, it looks more complicated. With the final seasons of its prestige hits arriving at a similar time – we recently bid farewell to Top Boy and Sex Education– what is going to fill that gap? After years of cancelled shows and syndicating hits from traditional networks, the streamer will have to find something to justify rising subscription costs. It is still capable of producing fresh drama (like this year’s Beef), but it’s hard not to imagine that The Crown might one day return: its central family continues to supply seasons’ worth of drama, and there’s already an actor who can play one of its future lead roles.
Henry Wong is a senior culture writer at Esquire, working across digital and print. He covers film, television, books, and art for the magazine, and also writes profiles.
