Netflix’s ‘The Crown’ Season 5 Drops Next Month—See The Latest Photos

• Netflix's award-winning royals drama The Crown is scheduled to return for season 5 next month and will cover the royal family in the early 1990s.

• The season will cover Princess Diana;s and Prince Charles' divorce.

• Here's everything you need to know about casting decisions, filming dates, and more.

The Crown season 4 dropped on Netflix way back in November 2020 (almost two years ago, if you can believe it!) and became an instant hit. From royal scandals to family drama, the show lived up to its first three seasons and more, leaving fans more excited than ever for a fifth.

While royal fans have been waiting with bated breath for new episodes, new photos have been released ahead of the fifth season, which premieres next month. Plus, there's plenty of information floating around about what to expect.

Here's everything to know about Season 5 of The Crown, from new cast members to special sneak peeks at what's going on behind the royal curtain.

Warning: Spoilers for seasons 5 of The Crown ahead! Stop reading here if you don't want to know what happens next.

What do the photos mean for season 5?

On Friday, Netflix dropped several new pics from the upcoming season, and they're definitely telling.

In one photo, Elizabeth Debicki is wearing a dress that resembles the one Princess Dianna wore to a Vanity Fair gala in 1995—and the resemblance is spot on!

“In the ’90s, everything had started to be filmed, and also it was the birth of the 24-hour news cycle, so there’s just this incredible amount of content that we have access to," Debicki told Netflix Tudum. "Diana was the most photographed person in the world at that time. As an actor, you open the portal and this huge tsunami of information comes at you. I happily swam around in it.”

In another photo, Imelda Staunton and Jonathan Pryce, who play Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, are all dressed up for a special occasion.

There also appears to be a fireworks scene that captures the closeness between Olivia Williams and Dominic West, who play Camilla Parker Bowles and King Charles.

“Charles and Camilla seem to have a very healthy sense of humor about what at times must be an unbearable predicament," Williams told Netflix Tudum. "And that is the thing that I most want to show.”

Fans will get a look into the lives of Princess Anne, as she's shown smiling at what looks like a party. According to Claudia Harrison, Anne was great to play because “She’s not there to make people feel better about themselves, but she is superb at her job and is a proper feminist," she explained to Netflix Tudum. "She’s someone we can really look up to, and I think she has no sense of entitlement.”

There's a photo of Princess Margret smoking a cigarette looking not as pleased. Lesley Manville, who plays Margret, revealed to Netflix that she watched many documentaries to study up on her character, but let go of the outside perspectives once she received the script.

There's this sweet shot that shows Diana, Charles, Harry, and William together on a small yacht. Her outfit and the boys' white shirts looks similar to the attire they wore while on vacation in 1990 to Necker Island.

There's also this closeup of Diana:

And of Charles:

And of Prime Minister John Major, who is played by Johnny Lee Miller.

When will new episodes premiere on Netflix?

Netflix has finally announced that November 9 will be the premiere date for season 5.

When did season 5 film?

Filming for season 5 officially began in London in July 2021, per Variety. The production schedule was not delayed because of the pandemic, but due to a normal filming break.

Photos of the cast getting into character while filming started popping up back in January—like snaps of Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana, per the New York Post.

Since the show comes back next month, it might be safe to assume filming has wrapped and the editing is almost done as well.

Who will be playing Queen Elizabeth?

Imelda Staunton—who some fans will recognize as villain Dolores Umbridge from the Harry Potter movies—will be assuming the title of Her Majesty in the new season of the show. Creator Peter Morgan confirmed the news in January 2020.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to confirm Imelda Staunton as Her Majesty the Queen for the fifth and final season, taking The Crown into the 21st century,” Morgan said in a statement. “Imelda is an astonishing talent and will be a fantastic successor to Claire Foy and Olivia Colman.”

Netflix finally gave fans the first of many sneak peeks at Imelda in character—and the transformation is major. The actress looks downright regal in a yellow dress and sporting Queen Elizabeth's signature 'do:

In an interview with Emma Barnett on the BBC radio show Woman's Hour, Imelda explained that she feels additional pressure this season to play the Queen. "I think my sort of extra challenge, as if I needed it, is that I’m now doing the queen that we’re a little more familiar with," she said, per Variety.

"With Claire Foy, it was almost history and now I’m playing one that people could say ‘she doesn’t do that,’ ‘she’s not like that,’ and that’s my personal bête noire."

Who are the other new cast members?

Aside from Staunton, there are plenty of award-winning actors joining the cast. Jonny Lee Miller was recently announced as The Crown's John Major. Major served as Prime Minister of the U.K. and leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, the year Princess Diana died.

Taking over Princess Diana from Emma Corrin will be Elizabeth Debicki.

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

Debicki had already been a big fan of the series, she told Entertainment Tonight. "My very dear friend Vanessa Kirby played Princess Margaret in the first two seasons so beautifully. That's why I started watching it, really, and I remember watching it thinking, 'This is remarkable.' Everything people do on that screen is just incredible acting," she said.

"For me to even start to swim in that ocean is incredible. And obviously Princess Diana was a truly profoundly remarkable, unique woman, so it's nothing but an honor to be asked to play her." Here's your first glimpse at Debicki in the role:

But if you loved Emma Corrin as Lady Di, don't fret. She might return, too: “Under normal circumstances, The Crown’s rule is that the entire cast changes after every two series, but Emma has been exceptional as Di,” a source told The Sun. “So although Elizabeth will take over the role, they’re looking at ways that her predecessor can appear, albeit in flashbacks to her younger years.”

In July 2020, Netflix confirmed that Lesley Manville would star in the show's final two seasons as Princess Margaret, taking over the role from Helena Bonham Carter (who took it over from Vanessa Kirby).

"I could not be happier to be playing Princess Margaret," Manville said in a statement. "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."

Apparently, she's taking the research for her new role very seriously, per Vanity Fair. "I’m now rewatching The Crown because, ultimately, yes I’ll read the books, yes I’ll listen to Margaret talking, yes I’ll look at endless footage of her. But at the end of the day, I have to look at what Vanessa did, look at what Helena has done, and pick up the baton of those two great actresses and carry on being that Margaret," Manville said.

"That’s definitely on the agenda — a three Margarets dinner happening somewhere. I will do it and it will happen."

Jonathan Pryce will play Prince Philip in the final two seasons of The Crown. Pryce takes over the role from Tobias Menzies and Matt Smith, who have played the Duke of Edinburgh in the first four seasons.

And The Affair's Dominic West will portray Prince Charles. Here's a sneak peek of him in the role:

Plus, West's son, 13-year-old Senan West, is set to play a young Prince William in the last few episodes of season 5, Variety reported.

Meanwhile, Claudia Harrison will replace Erin Doherty as Princess Anne, per People. And, the show recently announced that Pakistani actor Humayun Saeed will star as Dr. Hasnat Khan, who dated Princess Diana for two years before she began her relationship with Dodi Fayed, according to Variety. (Fayed will be played by Khalia Abdalla, who previously starred in The Kite Runner, per Variety.)

How many more seasons will there be?

Probably only one more. Morgan originally wasn't sure if he even wanted to do a sixth season, but he ultimately decided to write one. In a 2020 statement on Twitter, Morgan explained more:

"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," he said.

Morgan also explained in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he needs time off to both shoot and write a sixth season, since the show films in two-season chunks. The sixth and final season will likely premiere in 2023.

What will the plot of season 5 be?

Seasons 5 and 6 will be set in the early 1990s and continue up until the early 2000s. Princess Diana will play a larger role, and it's possible the series could cover her death in 1997 and Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother's deaths a few years later, in 2002. But more specific details are still TBD.

Will this season cover Martin Bashir's famous interview with Princess Diana?

It sure will, according to The Independent. The Panorama interview from 1995 rose to fame after Diana referred to the affair between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. "There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded," Diana said.

No word yet on how exactly the show will incorporate the interview, but it's worth noting that Bashir came under fire in 2020 for using "deceptive tactics" to get Diana to participate, per The New York Times.

Will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's story appear in the Crown?

Nope. Creator Peter Morgan told Entertainment Weekly that the couple will not figure into the show at all.

"I know how my show is going to end—but that’s long before where we are now,” Morgan told the magazine in 2018. “I feel uncomfortable writing about events within a certain time period. I think there’s a certain amount of time within which, if you write about it, what you do instantly becomes journalistic. Because it’s too close to the moment."

But he says if you wait a certain amount of time, like a generation, then you can write about it "somewhat freely" as drama. "Let’s wait twenty years and see what there is to say about Meghan Markle," he continues. "I don’t know what there is to say about Meghan Markle at the moment. I wouldn’t know and I wouldn’t presume. She’ll only become interesting once we’ve had twenty years to digest who she is and what her impact has been."

However, Harry is a fan of the show.

In an interview with James Corden, Prince Harry confirmed that he has seen the show and prefers it to celebrity gossip.

"It’s fictional, but it’s loosely based on the truth. Of course, it’s not strictly accurate; it gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle is, the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else, what can come from that," he said. “I’m way more comfortable with The Crown than I am seeing the stories written about my family, my wife, or myself."

You Might Also Like

• 14 Reasons You Sweat So Much In Bed—And What To Do About Them, According To Sleep Experts

• The 11 Best Mental Health Books To Cope With Whatever Life Throws At You

• This Avocado-Spinach Green Smoothie Recipe Is The Best Way To Start Your Day