After seven years on the air, "The Crown" is approaching its end. The sixth and final season of the series that follows the steps of Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda Staunton) premiered on Netflix on November 16. Split into two parts, the first four episodes are already available, while the other six will arrive on streaming on December 14.
The first season recorded after the monarch's death, who passed away from natural causes in September 2022, will cover the events that occurred between 1997 and 2005—a particularly significant period in the history of the British Royal Family.
Among them, the death of Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki) in 1997, during a car accident, and the beginning of the relationship between Prince William (Ed McVey) and Kate Middleton (Meg Bellamy) after the couple met at the University of St Andrews in 2001 are highlighted. These are iconic events eagerly awaited by the audience that will finally take shape in the adaptation.
To prepare for the upcoming events, it's worth recalling what happened in the most important moments of season 5 and which stories are likely to have a direct impact on the final episodes of the show.
The Discontent with the Monarchy
One of the major themes discussed in the fifth season of "The Crown" was the growing discontent of the people with the monarchy. Specifically, with Queen Elizabeth II, considered by many to be an entity stuck in the past.
Starting the season with low popularity, the queen is accused of having the "Queen Victoria syndrome," with both her reign's duration and the extravagant spending of the Crown being questioned.
The atmosphere of tension, however, escalates due to the family scandals that follow and reach their peak in the year 1992, the "annus horribilis," as it is called by the protagonist herself.
During that year, Prince Andrew (James Murray) separates from Sarah Ferguson (Emma Laird Craig) after another of his scandals comes to light, while Anne (Claudia Harrison) announces a second marriage, awakening painful memories in Princess Margaret (Lesley Manville). In addition, a fire breaks out at Windsor Castle, and Charles and Diana decide to separate.
All these family dramas are essential because they show how "The Crown" enters its final season with almost every character carrying some kind of issue to deal with. These are traumas, dissatisfactions, and discontent that began to surface in the fifth year and will result in key decisions in the new episodes.
The Scandals of Charles and Diana
The disagreements between the heir to the throne and the Princess of Wales, in particular, are the central focus of the season. The strained relationship of the couple, stemming from their personal differences and Charles's long-standing extramarital relationship with Camilla Parker, reached its climax with the release of Diana's biography, as shown in the fifth season of the series.
Written by Andrew Morton with the princess's assistance, the book was like a bombshell within the royal family, who believed that Diana wanted to "explode the Crown" with her statements.
The publication was the catalyst for their official separation in 1994. However, scandals related to their relationship were far from over, unfolding over the years.
The first of these occurred shortly after the marriage's end was announced when the Daily Mirror decided to no longer shield the prince and published a transcript of a phone conversation recorded three years earlier when Charles and Diana were still married.
The phone call, later known as the "Tampongate episode," consisted of a conversation between Charles and Camilla, in which the queen's son expressed his desire to be an internal tampon to get closer to his beloved.
The exposure of Charles's infidelity—an embarrassment considered to this day as one of the biggest scandals in the royal family—increased everyone's popularity and sympathy towards Diana, already known as the "people's princess."
The following year, in 1995, determined to reveal to the public how their marriage truly functioned, the princess granted a sensational interview to the BBC. In the conversation, Diana talked about how she had suffered in silence alongside Charles, making it clear that she lacked support from the Royal Family, intensifying the criticisms of the Crown even more.
Another significant moment shown in the fifth season of "The Crown"—and one that we know has direct implications for the end of Diana's life—is the beginning of her relationship with playboy Dodi Al-Fayed (Khalid Abdalla).
Introduced to the young man by Dodi's own father, billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed (Amir El-Masry), with whom she was very close, Diana remained just an acquaintance of the young man in the fifth season.
Her closeness to Mohamed, however, leads her to accept the invitation of the Harrods owner and his wife to go to Saint Tropez, where she plans to spend a few days with the Al-Fayed family on their yacht.
The scenes that conclude the fifth season set the stage for her relationship with Dodi—a romance that will be depicted in the new episodes. As we know, Dodi and Diana had an intense relationship for several months until they tragically died together in the 1997 accident.
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