Since pausing production last year following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, development on the sixth and final season of The Crown is in full swing once again.
The historical drama is one of Netflix’s biggest hits, so look for streaming numbers to go through the roof for the final episodes — which are expected to occur sometime in the early aughts. But first, the series has to deliver on the end of Season 5 and finish Princess Diana’s story.
A year ago, the production team shot the horrific car accident that killed Diana in 1997, so we know that tragedy will appear in some capacity in the final season. Per Deadline, Diana’s death will occur in the early episodes of Season 6, but the showrunners pledge to handle the incident with sensitivity.
Executive producer Suzanne Mackey explained her thought process behind shooting the sequence:
The show might be big and noisy, but we’re not. We’re thoughtful people, and we’re sensitive people. There were very careful, long conversations about how we were going to do it… The audience will judge it in the end, but I think it’s been delicately, thoughtfully recreated.”
What else can we expect in the final season? Vanity Fair has released some behind-the-scenes photos of actors portraying a young Prince William and Kate Middleton meeting at The University of Saint Andrews sometime in 2001:
According to Esquire, Season 6 could also include the deaths of Princess Margaret and Queen Mum, Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee, and even the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
As for the final season, an exact release date for The Crown has not been announced yet, likely because the showrunners aren’t far enough into the post-production process.
However, it’s expected to stream sometime in November or December this year, which gives those late to the party plenty of time to catch up on all the palace intrigue before The Crown takes its final bow.