Everything To Know About The Crown Season 6

For five seasons, Netflix’s The Crown has dramatized the reign of Queen Elizabeth II and major royal family events from throughout history. The hit drama has won over viewers and the industry, having won multiple Emmy awards throughout its run so far. However, fans were worried in early 2020 when Netflix announced that Season 5 would be the show’s last. Luckily, series creator Peter Morgan had a change of heart six months later and told Deadline that the show would receive a Season 6 after all, holding to his original plan to spend two seasons focusing on three pivotal periods in Queen Elizabeth’s long reign.

“As we started to discuss the storylines for Series 5, 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 told the publication. “To be clear, Series 6 will not bring us any closer to present-day — it will simply enable us to cover the same period in greater detail.”

In July 2020, Cindy Holland, then the vice president of original content at Netflix, also spoke to Deadline about extending the series. “The Crown keeps raising the bar with each new season,” Holland said. “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 everything we know about The Crown Season 6.

The Crown Season 6 Plot

Deadline previously reported that Season 6 of The Crown would explore the royal family’s lives into the 2000s, which makes sense considering Season 5 depicted much of the 1990s. The final season will have a lot to cover, as the ’90s saw Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s divorce, Princess Anne’s split from Mark Phillips, and Princess Diana’s 1996 separation from Prince Charles — in addition to her tragic death in 1997. Also, the 2000s brought the passing of Princess Margaret and Queen Mother Elizabeth as well as Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles’ engagement and wedding, so the series has some major royal events to cover.

As per The Sun, the forthcoming season reportedly won’t shy away from controversial topics, including Prince Harry’s Nazi costume scandal that occurred back in 2005 when the young royal was photographed attending a “native and colonial” fancy dress party. The Duke’s costume choice, which included a swastika symbol, sparked a wave of backlash, forcing the royal family to issue a public apology. “Older generations will remember The Sun’s ‘Harry The Nazi’ story and photo but this past episode in Harry’s life may come as news to Netflix’s many younger viewers,” one insider told the outlet. Bustle has reached out to Netflix for comment.

In a Town & Country cover story on the series, it was also reported that the two final seasons would chronicle prime ministers John Major (1990-1997) and Tony Blair (1997-2007) during their respective terms in office. Based on that information, it’s expected that the series will not delve into Prince William and Kate Middleton’s relationship or Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s marriage and subsequent choice to step down from their royal roles. According to Morgan, opting out of recent events is a relief. “The Meghan and Harry story is nowhere near over yet,” the creator said to T&C. “And I’m happy that I’m never going to write it.”

However, in March 2023, leaked on-set photos indicated that at least one recent event — the passing of Queen Elizabeth II — could be included in the final ever season. As Metro reports, the behind-the-scenes photos appeared to show lead star, Imelda Staunton, walking anonymously through the crowded streets of London, watching on as her portrait is replaced with a picture of King Charles III.

Meanwhile, Dominic West, who will again portray Prince Charles in Season 6, previously told Deadline that the sixth series will be “as tumultuous as it gets,” because it is expected to feature Princess Diana’s passing.

The Spice Girls could also be represented in The Crown Season 6, though Netflix has yet to confirm the speculation. On Jan. 24, 2023, new set photos showed an unidentified actor who appeared to be portraying Ginger Spice, aka Geri Halliwell, in a Union Jack-themed costume, on the same day West was filming as Prince Charles. In real life, the music group met the now-king at a 1997 benefit concert, and Halliwell, along with her bandmate Melanie “Mel C” Chisholm, famously broke royal protocol by planting kisses on his cheeks.

The Crown Season 6 Cast

As the series aims to cover three periods of royal family history over six seasons, The Crown cast tends to change every other season, so it’s expected that much of the Season 5 cast will stick around for Season 6.

Joining the series for Season 5 is Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, taking over for Helena Bonham Carter, and Dominic West as Prince Charles, replacing Josh O’Connor. Additionally, starring as Prince Philip is Jonathan Pryce, who will replace Tobias Menzies, and Imelda Staunton replaces Oscar winner Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II. Furthermore, The Night Manager star Elizabeth Debicki took over from Emma Corrin as Princess Diana, and Olivia Williams (The Father) succeeded Emerald Fennell as Camilla Parker Bowles.

As per the Telegraph, acting newcomer Meg Bellamy has been cast in the final ever season as a young Kate Middleton — while Ed McVey and Rufus Kamp will both make their acting debuts in the Netflix drama as Prince William during different stages of his life.

As of Mar. 15, filming for Season 6 is now underway in Scotland, where on-set images have given us a glimpse into Ed McVey stepping into the role of a university-aged Prince William, alongside West’s Prince Charles. And the resemblance is pretty uncanny...

Two days later, McVey and Bellamy were caught by photographers while filming at the University of St Andrews. The couple both met there during their time at uni in 2001, and the scenes being shot likely depict the earlier days of their relationship.

On April 27, Netflix released a trio of first-look photos at Bellamy and McVey as Kate and William, as well as a behind-the-scenes image of the two actors posing in front of a St. Andrews cafe with a window display that reads, “Where Kate met Wills (for coffee).”

The Crown Season 6 Release Date

Unfortunately, there’s no official release date for The Crown Season 6 just yet. In June 2022, Deadline revealed that the sixth season was expected to start filming in August of that year, and the aforementioned on-set photos that surfaced in March 2023 confirm that filming is indeed underway.

How Will The Queen’s Death Affect The Crown Season 6?

After Buckingham Palace confirmed on Sept. 8 that Queen Elizabeth II died at age 96, creator and showrunner Peter Morgan said in an email to Deadline that The Crown will likely pause filming. “The Crown is a love letter to her and I’ve nothing to add for now, just silence and respect,” Morgan, who also penned the 2006 Helen Mirren-led film, The Queen, wrote. “I expect we will stop filming out of respect too.”

On Sept. 9, Variety confirmed that filming was suspended the day after Queen Elizabeth II’s death and would also be suspended on the day of her funeral.

According to Deadline, Netflix already had a longstanding contingency plan in place to halt production if the Queen died while the series was still airing. “None of us know when that time will come but it would be right and proper to show respect to the Queen,” Season 1 director Stephen Daldry told the outlet in 2016. “It would be a simple tribute and a mark of respect. She’s a global figure and it’s what we should do.