It’s been a minute since “The Crown” season four, two years to be exact, which was almost an entire pandemic ago, but Peter Morgan’s acclaimed Netflix series finally returns in November. Season four was set between 1979 and 1990, is set during Margaret Thatcher’s 11-year run as prime minister, and also introduced Lady Diana Spencer into the series. The fifth season of “The Crown” is set entirely in the 1990s and, in doing so, ages up a lot of the characters who are now played by new actors.
As you’ve likely heard by now, given the casting reports were literally two years ago,
Elizabeth Debicki (“Tenet“) plays Princess Diana of Wales, Dominic West (“The Wire“) features asPrinces Charles, Queen Elizabeth II is now played by Imelda Staunton (“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix“), Jonathan Pryce (“The Two Popes“) stars as Prince Philip, and the rest of the cast is rounded out by Lesley Manville (“Phantom Thread“) as Princess Margaret, Olivia Williams (“The Ghost Writer“) as Camilla Parker Bowles, and Jonny Lee Miller (“Elementary“) as John Major.
Season five will bring the maturing Queen’s reign into the new century and will cover the tenures of prime ministers John Major and Tony Blair (Bertie Carvel). Events anticipated include the dissolution of Charles and Diana’s marriage and Diana’s death.
Here’s the official synopsis for season five.
Based on historical events,The Crown dramatizes the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that shaped her reign. With the new decade in its stride, the Royal Family are presented with possibly their biggest challenge to date as the public openly questions their role in ‘90s Britain.
Debicki recently revealed that she auditioned for a cameo in season two and didn’t get the part, but it did lead to this much meatier role in season five.
READ MORE: ‘The Crown’ Producers Are Already Discussing A Prequel Series With Netflix
“I definitely wanted to do something on ‘The Crown’ because my dear friend Vanessa Kirby was playing Princess Margaret, and I was just obsessed with the show,” she told EW this week in a big cover story. “I was one of those people who binged it.”
After the audition, Debicki was told Princess Di could be in the cards further down the road. “This was so many years ago that I sort of put it on the shelf,” she said. “I didn’t put any eggs in the basket — well, maybe there was one egg in the basket. Then, years later, it came back around. When Peter actually asked me, I didn’t have to give it much thought.”
The ten-episode season five of “The Crown” premieres on Netflix on November 9. Watch the first trailer below.