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“The beginning of the end” is near. Netflix debuted the official trailer for Season 5 of The Crown on Thursday. The trailer for the highly anticipated season, set to The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony,” showcases the royal drama’s new cast and Queen Elizabeth’s family “in genuine crisis.”
Imelda Staunton is taking over the role of the late British monarch in the upcoming season, which also stars Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Dominic West as Prince Charles, Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana, Claudia Harrison as Princess Anne, Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles, Jonny Lee Miller as John Major, Salim Daw as Mohamed Al Fayed, and Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Fayed.
The award-winning series, created by Peter Morgan, returns for its penultimate season on Nov. 9. “It feels it’s all about to erupt,” Jonny’s character says in the trailer. According to Netflix, the royal family in the fifth season is “presented with possibly their biggest challenge to date as the public openly question their role in ‘90s Britain.”
As Her Majesty “approaches the 40th anniversary of her accession, she reflects on a reign that has encompassed nine prime ministers, the advent of mass television and the twilight of the British Empire. Yet new challenges are on the horizon. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the transfer of sovereignty in Hong Kong signals a seismic shift in the international order presenting both obstacles and opportunities. Meanwhile, trouble is brewing closer to home.”
“Prince Charles (Dominic West) pressures his mother to allow him to divorce Diana (Elizabeth Debicki), presenting a constitutional crisis of the monarchy. Rumors 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,” per the streaming giant. “Tensions are set to rise further, as Mohamed Al Fayed (Salim Daw) arrives on the scene. Driven by his desire for acceptance of the highest order, he harnesses his self-made wealth and power to try and earn him and his son Dodi (Khalid Abdalla) a seat at the royal table.”
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly , The Crown’s new Queen, Imelda, said, “This particular part of history, an awful lot happens,” adding, “There’s a lot of turmoil, which isn’t made up — these things happened. I think there’s a lot going on for people to take on this time around.”
Netflix has noted that Season 5 is a “fictional dramatisation.” “The Crown has always been presented as a drama based on historical events,” a spokesperson said (via CNN ). “Series 5 is a fictional dramatisation, imagining what could have happened behind closed doors during a significant decade for the royal family – one that has already been scrutinised and well-documented by journalists, biographers and historians.”