Source: Netflix
Netflix has made a habit of striking gold with their movies and series, and The Crown is no exception. Running for four seasons, the award-winning series is set to release the 5th season, having started production in the United Kingdom last month. They recently released new images that feature Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki as Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
When news broke out that Elizabeth Debicki would be playing the beloved princess, the internet went wild and held its breath for pictures to emerge. On August 17, the long wait was finally over as Netflix released photos of Debicki taking over from Emma Corrin, who received praises of her performance as the young Diana in season 4. In that season, the audience watched as she met and married Prince Charles, played by Josh O’Connor. They were immediately smitten away and sympathized with the young Princess who dealt with the fame that followed her marriage, falling into an eating disorder, discovering her husband’s extra-marital affair with Camilla Parker Bowles (Emerald Fennel), and engaging in an affair of her own with Daniel Donskoy’s James Hewitt.
The photos released on Instagram show an older, graying Prince Charles staring solemnly off-frame in what looks like one of the royal’s countryside estates. Princess Diana’s photo contrasts his outdoor photo, lying on a couch with her hand resting on her chin, looking on contemplating with what looks like a letter on her lap. Captioned “Our new Prince Charles (Dominic West) and Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debick),” the photo received more 200,000 likes with many excited to see one of the most followed couples in the 90s.
While the royal couple have been the greatest highlight of the upcoming season, the cast also received an expansion with Imelda Staunton taking the crown as Queen Elizabeth II. Her photographs have caused people to look twice with a striking resemblance to the royalty. Joining her is Claudia Harrison, who will be playing Princess Anne. She was seen in photos with her onscreen mother with her signature bouffant hairstyle.
With the season in production since July, The Crown season 5 is set to explore the early ’90s, once again revolving around the royals with the spotlight on the slow collapse of Charles and Diana’s marriage. Although there hasn’t been much revealed, many have speculated that the season will primarily focus on 1992, a year that the Queen has described as the horrible year or annus horribilis, wherein three of her four children underwent separation from their spouses and the fire that brought down Windsor Castle. Many have also theorized that the 1995 bombshell interview will be covered. However, there is still uncertainty around whether or not the season will include Princess Diana’s tragic death.
Fans can rest assured that the upcoming season will not be the last as many previously thought. Creator Pete Morgan revealed that as they discussed how to navigate, it became clear that they would return to their original plan and push for six seasons to deliver the story accordingly. However, while season 6 will not take fans to the modern day, the creators will be covering the same period in greater detail.
