Everything we know about The Crown season 5

The Crown season 5 trailer  

Netflix's official trailer is here at last, starting with Windsor on fire and on to Diana's infamous Panorama interview and Prince Charles wondering at the monarchy's future.

What can we expect in season 5 of The Crown?

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS – but not really*

It’s hard to give away spoilers on a show based largely on historical fact, though Netflix has stated time and time again that the show is not a documentary and has been dramatised. If you want to find out the true story, check out these royal family documentaries.

Even so, here are the years season 5 will apparently cover:  

Since each season of The Crown spans around a decade and season 4 ended in 1990, It's pretty clear that season 5 will cover some time between the early ‘90s to the early ‘00s.  

The fifth season was initially meant to be the show’s final season. However, showrunner Peter Morgan decided to instead split the decade between two seasons, meaning we’d guess season 5 will cover events up to the mid-'90s.  

The 1990s were a tough time for the royal family. The Queen described 1992 as her “annus horribilis” at the 40th anniversary of her accession, in part due to a fire at Windsor Castle. As well as this tragedy, Prince Charles and Princess Diana were at war in their relationship, while Prince Andrew and Fergie also had scandal after scandal before divorcing, as did Princess Anne and her first husband Mark Phillips.  

Of course, there was also Princess Diana’s shocking Panorama interview and her tragic death in a car crash in 1997. Suffice to say, it was a turbulent time for the royals, and there's A LOT of tragedy and scandal to cover - so no wonder Morgan chose to split the decade in two.  

Considering the dramatic years the season will cover and the recent passing of both Queen Elizabeth II, it’s not surprising that Netflix considered delaying the release of the new season. However, production resumed after a brief pause, and the show will be released as planned on Wednesday 9th November.  

To refresh your memory, look back at what’s happened so far in The Crown. 

Cast of The Crown series 5  

There were some amazing, stand-out performances in season 4, including Emma Corrin’s remarkable depiction of Diana, along with Erin Doherty as Princess Anne, Josh O’Connor as Prince Charles, Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret and Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II herself. So many of us will be sad to say goodbye as season 5 welcomes a whole new cast, but don’t worry, season 5’s line-up looks just as impressive...  

Who is playing Princess Diana and Prince Charles in The Crown season 5? 

Of course, one of the big questions is, who will play Diana? It's been announced that Elizabeth Debicki will take on the role of Princess Diana. She will be opposite Dominic West, who is taking on the role of Prince Charles. Here was our first look at them in character, and it’s pretty uncanny:  

Our new Prince Charles (Dominic West) and Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki). pic.twitter.com/2QIMOhY1dE

— The Crown (@TheCrownNetflix) August 17, 2021

Some of you may recognise Elizabeth Debicki from her roles in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and Steve McQueen’s Widows. She takes over the role from Emma Corrin, who made her debut as young Diana Spencer in season 4. On the role, Debicki said:  

“Princess Diana’s spirit, her words and her actions live in the hearts of so many. It is my true privilege and honour to be joining this masterful series, which has had me absolutely hooked from episode one,” 

Meanwhile, Dominic West will step into the role of Prince Charles, taking over from Josh O’Connor, who played the Prince in seasons 3 and 4. Dominic West is a well-known name, having starred in The Wire, The Affair and many more big titles. 

Who will play Queen Elizabeth II? 

Imelda Staunton will be taking on the role of Queen Elizabeth II for seasons 5 and 6. Perhaps best known for her role as Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter series, Staunton said: 

“I have loved watching The Crown from the very start. As an actor it was a joy to see how both Claire Foy and Olivia Colman brought something special and unique to [series creator] Peter Morgan’s scripts. I am genuinely honoured to be joining such an exceptional creative team and to be taking The Crown to its conclusion.”  

Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip  

Known for his roles in The Two Popes and Games of Thrones, Jonathan Pryce will be taking on the role of the Duke of Edinburgh for the final two seasons. Pryce said of the role:  

“The positive experience I had making The Two Popes has given me the confidence to tackle the daunting prospect of playing Prince Philip.”  

Considering Pryce has won multiple awards and has formerly starred in some of Shakespeare’s most iconic tragedies, so we’re sure he’ll be able to step into Matt Smith’s and Tobias Menzies’ shoes. 

Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret 

Lesley Manville will follow Helena Bonham Carter and Vanessa Kirby’s portrayals of Princess Margaret. On the role, Manville said, 

“I could not be happier to be playing Princess Margaret. The baton is being passed on from two formidable actresses and I really don’t want to let the side down. Furthermore, to play siblings with my dear friend Imelda Staunton will be nothing short of a complete joy.”  

More new cast members: 

• Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles, taking over from Emerald Fennell 

• Jonny Lee Miller as John Major 

• Natascha McElhone as Penny Knatchbull

• Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Fayed 

• Salim Daw as Dodi’s father, Mohamed Al-Fayed 

• Amir El-Masry as young Mohamed Al-Fayed 

• Humayun Saeed as Hasnat Khan 

• Bertie Carvel and Lydia Leonard as Tony and Cherie Blair 

• Teddy Hawley and Will Powell as Prince Harry at various stages of life 

• Timothee Sambor and Senan West as Prince William as he grows up. Fun fact, Senan West also happens to be the son of Dominic West!  

From these characters alone, we can take some guesses at what the season will explore, including Mohamed Al-Fayed's early life and Diana’s relationships with both Dodi Fayad and Hasnat Khan.  

PLUS, Prince William and Kate Middleton have also been cast ahead of season 6, with newcomer Rufus Kampa playing the Prince at 15 before Ed McVey takes over as William hits his late teens. Meanwhile, Meg Bellamy will take on the role of Kate when she met Prince William at university. Other than that, as far as we know, most of the cast we'll see in season 5 will be sticking with the show until the end of season 6. 

When does the new season of The Crown start? 

The full season 5 of The Crown will be release exclusively on Netflix on Wednesday 9th November, so cancel your plans! We’ve got a lot to get through... 

For now, remind yourself of what’s happened so far in seasons 1 – 4 of The Crown.  

Will there be a season 6 of The Crown?  

Yes, it’s been confirmed there will be a sixth season of The Crown!

The news comes after Peter Morgan briefly considered covering the whole of the ‘90s in season 5, but just too much happens! So instead, the decade will be split between seasons 5 and 6, meaning we should see most of the cast of season 5 return for the final season (except Prince William and Prince Harry, who have a few actors play them as they grow up.) 

On the decision, Morgan told Deadline,

“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. To be clear, series 6 will not bring us any closer to present—it will simply enable us to cover the same period in greater detail.” 

The Crown has previously said that it’ll stick to a 20-year rule, which means it won’t get closer than 20 years to the present. That would leave us in 2012, but chances are season 6 will end sometime before that, so we’ll have to see what they have planned...