How “The Crown” 'Restored the Glamour' of Queen Elizabeth for a New Generation (Exclusive)

Queen Elizabeth's death looms large as the reign of 'The Crown' ends on Netflix — how the royal drama reshaped the late monarch's image

It's been seven years since The Crown premiered on Netflix, introducing a new generation to the sprawling story of Queen Elizabeth and the modern royal family.

Now, one year after the death of the long-serving monarch at age 96, the hit royal saga, which has uniquely featured a rotating cast during its run, is making its final curtsy with a split premiere on Nov. 16 and Dec. 14.

For both fans of the series and those who worked on it, saying goodbye to The Crown one year after the world said goodbye to the history-making Queen Elizabeth is especially difficult.

"It will add to the nostalgia and create a poignancy and sense of loss,” Robert Lacey, the series’ historical consultant, tells PEOPLE in this week's issue.

Related: The Crown Creator Peter Morgan Reveals How Queen Elizabeth's Death Changed the Show's Ending

Though the show has depicted some of the darkest times in the royal family’s history, it also strengthened public perception of the monarch.

"People born during her reign had no idea about the magic she exerted in those early years — it restored the glamour and surprising femininity that she had," Lacey says. "It's educated young people and people around the world about the Queen as a person. Viewers came to understand that she had a job to do. At a time of great change and flux, here is the story of a person who stood solidly."

The sixth season will premiere in two installments. Part 1 (debuting Now. 16) follows Princess Diana (played by Elizabeth Debicki) in the weeks leading up to her fatal 1997 car crash, while part 2 (debuting Dec. 14) will focus on the aftermath of Diana's death and the budding romance between Prince William (Ed McVey) and Kate Middleton (Meg Bellamy).

Related: Netflix Drops Official Trailer for The Crown Season 6, Part 1: See the Royal Drama to Come

Although the final season wraps with the events of 2005, the death of Queen Elizabeth on Sept. 8, 2022, led series creator Peter Morgan to change the show’s initial ending.

In real life “we’d all been through the experience of the [Queen’s] funeral," Morgan told Variety in October. "So because of how deeply everybody will have felt that, I had to try and find a way in which the final episode dealt with [her] death, even though [the character] hadn’t died yet.”

Though the riveting drama played out before a rich royal backdrop, Lacey credits some of The Crown’s enduring allure to its most powerful theme: family.

“It made all members of the family relatable. The big fear for some [was] that by going behind the scenes of the royal family would undermine people’s respect. But it intensified people’s affection and understanding,” says the author of The Crown: The Official Companion volumes 1 and 2.

“It is a cliché to say they are a family like the rest of us but actually they were. And it made The Crown even more part of 21st-century culture than might otherwise have been the case,” he tells PEOPLE.

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The historian further points to the prowess of the series’ three Queens — Claire Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton — as a reason the show so brightly sparkled. The Crown won 21 Emmy Awards and 10 Golden Globes through the first five seasons, including Netflix’s first Emmy for Best Drama in 2021.

“[Queen Elizabeth] was played by three of the world’s great character actors and emerged stronger than ever before,” Lacey says.

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