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Mark your calendars The Crown fans because we finally know when the royal drama will be returning! Netflix announced at the Tudum: A Netflix Global Fan Event 2022 over the weekend that the fifth season of the hit series will premiere on Nov. 9.
Imelda Staunton will be taking over the role of Queen Elizabeth from Olivia Colman, who played the British monarch in Seasons 3 and 4. The Season 5 cast also includes Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana, Dominic West as Prince Charles, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, and Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret.
According to the synopsis, Queen Elizabeth is “approaching the 40th anniversary of her accession” in Season 5. “Setting off on Britannia for her annual tour of Scotland’s Western Isles, she reflects on a reign that has encompassed nine Prime Ministers, the advent of mass television and the twilight of the British Empire. However, as a new decade enters its stride, the old certainties are no longer guaranteed. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the transfer of sovereignty in Hong Kong signals a seismic shift in the international order and presents the monarchy with both challenges and opportunities, but trouble is brewing closer to home.”
As Charles and Diana’s “fairy tale marriage breaks down,” the Prince “pressures his mother to allow him to divorce Diana, presenting a constitutional crisis of the Monarchy. Rumours circulate as husband and wife are seen to live increasingly separate lives, and as media scrutiny intensifies Diana decides to take control of her own narrative, breaking with family protocol to publish a book that undermines public support for Charles and exposes the cracks in the House of Windsor. It could not have come at a worse time for the Royal family, with the public questioning their role in 90’s Britain.”
Season 5 will also feature Salim Daw as Mohamed Al-Fayed, who “driven by his desire for acceptance of the highest order, harnesses his self-made wealth and power to try and earn him and his son Dodi a seat at the Royal table,” according to the synopsis.
The Crown paused filming Season 6 following the death of Queen Elizabeth earlier this month. Deadline previously reported that a source at Netflix said: “As a mark of respect, filming on The Crown was suspended today. Filming will also be suspended on the day of Her Majesty The Queen’s funeral.” After the monarch passed away on Sept. 8, creator Peter Morgan said in an email message (via Deadline ), “The Crown is a love letter to her and I’ve nothing to add for now, just silence and respect. I expect we will stop filming out of respect too.”