As One Waits For The Crown Season 5 To Drop On Netflix, Here’s Everything One Knows So Far

After the incredible fourth season of Netflix series The Crown, and the royal drama that dominated headlines in earlier this year, fans of the show are eagerly awaiting The Crown season 5.

Season 4 was by far the most highly-anticipated season yet, giving us the iconic Princess Diana moments we had all been waiting for, like the Australia tour that had me pointing at the TV like Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood.

But season 4 is behind us now, and like the greedy little content monsters we are, we simply need MORE. Give! Me! More! Royal! Drama!

So while we wait for the Netflix gods to finally give us the drama we crave, let’s take a look at everything we know about The Crown season 5… so far.

When will The Crown season 5 premiere?

After the release of season 4 in November 2020, the cast and crew took a break from their royal duties, with production on The Crown season 5 not scheduled to start until June 2021, according to Deadline.

As for a release date, this means we won’t be binge-watching the 90s era of the royal family until sometime in 2022.

An exact release date is yet to be confirmed by Netflix, but we will keep you posted. While you wait, we have made a list of the best Netflix series of all time, so maybe you’ll find something you haven’t devoured yet.

What years will be covered in The Crown season 5?

Season 4 wrapped up in December of 1990, which means that The Crown season 5 should give us an insight into the 90s – which was a rough time for the royals, to say the least.

There’s no word on exact events that we’ll see in season 5, but we can expect to see the Queen’s “annus horribilis” of 1992, which saw three marriage breakdowns and a major fire at Windsor Castle.

“1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an ‘annus horribilis’,” the Queen said in a speech at the time.

We can also expect to see Diana’s interview with Martin Bashir, which is probably interesting to look back on now that we’ve seen Harry and Meghan’s.

Other events that we should see in the next two seasons include Diana and Charles’ divorce, Diana’s death, the Queen and Philip’s golden wedding anniversary, and the deaths of Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother as the Netflix show is expected to wrap up in the early 2000s.

Is there a trailer yet?

Filming is currently underway which means there’s no trailer right now. But we’ll be sure to insert it here when it exists. Bring it, Netflix.

Imelda Staunton is our Queen (both IRL and in The Crown, TBH)

Imelda Staunton aka Dolores Umbridge herself will be taking over the role of Queen Elizabeth II for the fifth (and sixth) season of the show, following in the footsteps of Claire Foy and Olivia Coleman.

“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,” show creator Peter Morgan said in a statement prior to the Netflix announcement of season six. “Imelda is an astonishing talent and will be a fantastic successor to Claire Foy and Olivia Colman.”

Staunton also released a statement at the time, expressing that she is honoured to be a part of the Netflix show.

“I have loved watching The Crown from the very start,” Staunton told the Hollywood Reporter.

“As an actor, it was a joy to see how both Claire Foy and Olivia Colman brought something special and unique to 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.”

Imelda Staunton will play Queen Elizabeth II in the fifth and final season of The Crown. pic.twitter.com/hUOob58A9p

— The Crown (@TheCrownNetflix) January 31, 2020

Emma Corin Will Still Be In Season 5

It’s customary for the entire cast to change and age-up every two seasons, and Netflix has confirmed we *will* be getting a new Diana (played by Aussie Elizabeth Debicki) in The Crown Season 5.

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

However, due to the wild, Golden Globe-winning success of Emma Corrin in season 4, the showrunners are keen to keep her around however possible.

“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 close to the Netflix hit 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.”

Obviously, she can’t play Princess Diana while just casually being a decade younger than everyone else, but she will likely appear in loads of flashbacks throughout The Crown Season 5.

Diana aside, The Affair actor Dominic West will play Prince Charles in the final two seasons of The Crown. West was first rumoured to play the part around the same time the actor was hit with cheating allegations, which is rather amusing timing… given Prince Charles’ history.

Meanwhile, The Nevers star Olivia Williams is set to play Camilla Parker Bowles, however this has not been confirmed yet.

According to the Daily Mail, Williams was offered the part of Camilla and has already shot a chemistry test with West to see if they’re a good match on screen.

If true, she will take over the role from the wonderful Emerald Fennell.

And, Claudia Harrison has taken over the role of Princess Anne, from the brilliant Erin Doherty. Harrison was snapped on set, so I think that pretty much cements her in the part.

Netflix has released some ~ first looks ~ at season 5

Presenting Imelda Staunton as Her Royal Highness, Queen Liz II.

Will Staunton cop an Emmy nomination? Probably.

Next up, we have Dominic West as Prince Charles.

And lastly (for now), we have this totally cheerful photo of Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana.

Debicki simply is Princess Diana. I can’t wait to see what she does with the role.

Is The Crown season 5 the last one?

When Peter Morgan first pitched the show, he envisioned six seasons, which would cover six decades of the royal family.

However, in late January 2020, we were delivered the soul-crushing news that the The Crown season 5 would be its last.

“At the outset I had imagined The Crown running for six seasons but now that we have begun work on the stories for season 5 it has become clear to me that this is the perfect time and place to stop,” Morgan said in a statement, according to Deadline. “I’m grateful to Netflix and Sony for supporting me in this decision.”

But thankfully, he changed his mind in July last year, confirming that the Netflix hit *will* be returning for a sixth and final season as originally intended.

“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,” Morgan sadly added, crushing my hopes of a Meghan and Harry season. NOOOO.

News from the palace: we can confirm there will be a sixth (and final) season of @TheCrownNetflix, in addition to the previously announced five!

— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) July 9, 2020

We’ll be sure to update this story as more information becomes available. But in the meantime, you can catch up on seasons 1-4 on Netflix now — or hit up our list of the best new Netflix series to find a new addiction.