The Crown season 6

The sixth and final season of The Crown, which follows the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II, was released by Netflix in two volumes. The first volume of four episodes was released on 16 November 2023, and the second, consisting of six episodes, was released on 14 December. The season began production shortly before the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022.

Premise
The Crown portrays the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, from her wedding in 1947 through to the early 21st century.

The sixth season is set from 1997 to 2005, during the premiership of Tony Blair. Events depicted include the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II, the deaths of Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the early relationship of Prince William and Kate Middleton, and the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles.

Main

 * Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II
 * Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Elizabeth's husband
 * Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, Elizabeth's younger sister
 * Dominic West as Charles, Prince of Wales, Elizabeth and Philip's eldest child and the heir apparent
 * Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles, Charles's long-time lover
 * Bertie Carvel as Prime Minister Tony Blair
 * Claudia Harrison as Anne, Princess Royal, Elizabeth and Philip's second child and only daughter
 * Marcia Warren as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, widow of King George VI, mother of Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret
 * Salim Daw as Mohamed Al-Fayed, Dodi Fayed's father
 * Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Fayed, Diana's lover who died alongside her in the 1997 car crash
 * Elizabeth Debicki as Diana, Princess of Wales, Charles's ex-wife
 * Ed McVey as Prince William of Wales, Charles and Diana's elder son and the second-in-line to the British throne
 * Luther Ford as Prince Harry of Wales, Charles and Diana's younger son and the third-in-line to the British throne
 * Meg Bellamy as Kate Middleton, a classmate of Prince William

Featured
The following actors are credited in the opening titles of episodes in which they play a significant role:
 * Eve Best as Carole Middleton, mother of Kate Middleton
 * Viola Prettejohn as teenage Princess Elizabeth
 * Beau Gadsdon as teenage Princess Margaret
 * Claire Foy as young Queen Elizabeth
 * Olivia Colman as middle-aged Queen Elizabeth

Recurring

 * Rufus Kampa as young Prince William of Wales
 * Fflyn Edwards as young Prince Harry of Wales
 * Ben Lloyd-Hughes as Mark Bolland, public-relations executive and deputy private secretary to Prince Charles
 * Alex Blake as Stephen Lamport, private secretary to Prince Charles
 * Lee Otway as Kez Wingfield, a bodyguard employed by Dodi Fayed
 * Harry Anton as Trevor Rees-Jones, a bodyguard employed by Dodi Fayed
 * Paul Gorostidi as Philippe Dourneau, Dodi Fayed's chauffeur
 * Hanna Alström as Heini Wathén, Mohamed Al-Fayed's wife
 * Lydia Leonard as Cherie Blair, Tony Blair's wife
 * Mohammed Kamel as Ali Fayed, Mohamed's brother and Dodi's paternal uncle
 * Semo Salha as Salah Fayed, Mohamed's brother and Dodi's paternal uncle
 * Andrew Havill as Robert Fellowes, Elizabeth's private secretary (who retired in 1999) and brother-in-law of Princess Diana
 * Jamie Parker as Robin Janvrin, Elizabeth's deputy private secretary (and private secretary from 1999)
 * Theo Fraser Steele as Timothy Laurence, Princess Anne's husband
 * James Murray as Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Elizabeth and Philip's third child
 * Sebastian Blunt as Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Elizabeth and Philip's youngest child
 * Adam Damerell as Alastair Campbell, Labour Party strategist and adviser to Tony Blair
 * Charlotte Melia as Anji Hunter, adviser to Tony Blair
 * Blake Ritson as Andrew Gailey, Prince William's housemaster at Eton College
 * Isaac Rouse as Ollie Chadwyck-Healey, close friend of Prince William
 * Charlie Beaven as Charlie Nelson, close friend of Prince William
 * Jack Cunningham-Nuttall as Fergus Boyd, close friend of Prince William
 * Tim Dutton as Michael Middleton, father of Kate Middleton
 * Matilda Broadbridge as Philippa 'Pippa' Middleton, sister of Kate Middleton
 * Daniel Burt as James Middleton, younger brother of Kate Middleton
 * Martin Turner as the Earl of Airlie, Lord Chamberlain and brother-in-law of Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy

Notable guests

 * Ella Bright as young Kate Middleton
 * Erin Richards as Kelly Fisher, Dodi Fayed's fiancée
 * Jana Quiles as Jasmine Fayed, Mohamed's daughter and Dodi's half-sister
 * Kian Noam as Karim Fayed, Mohamed's son and Dodi's half-brother
 * Rai Maiques as Omar Fayed, Mohamed's son and Dodi's half-brother
 * Irene Barbero as Camilla Fayed, Mohamed's daughter and Dodi's half-sister
 * Amira Ghazalla as Selma, Mohamed's secretary
 * Enzo Cilenti as Mario Brenna, Italian paparazzo
 * Forbes Masson as Duncan Muir, Scottish photographer
 * Kate Cook as Susie Orbach, Princess Diana's therapist
 * Yoann Blanc as Henri Paul, deputy head of security at Hôtel Ritz Paris
 * Philip Cumbus as Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, brother of Princess Diana
 * Justine Mitchell as Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Princess Diana's eldest sister
 * Annette Flynn as Lady Jane Fellowes, Princess Diana's older sister, the wife of Robert Fellowes
 * Eric Colvin as Michael Jay, British Ambassador to France
 * Christophe Guybet as Jean-Pierre Chevènement, French Minister of the Interior
 * Laurent C. Lucas as Jacques Chirac, President of France
 * Richard Rycroft as George Carey, the Archbishop of Canterbury
 * Polly Frame as Sally Morgan, adviser to Tony Blair
 * Thomas Nelstrop as Jonathan Powell, adviser to Tony Blair
 * Honor Swinton Byrne as Lola Airedale-Cavendish-Kincaid, ex-girlfriend of Prince William
 * Oli Green as Rupert Finch, ex-boyfriend of Kate Middleton
 * Tim Bentinck as the Earl of Carnarvon, Horse Racing Manager to the Queen
 * Joe Edgar as young Porchey, Lord Porchester
 * Hamish Riddle as Peter Townsend, lover of Princess Margaret, equerry of the King
 * Imogen Stubbs as Lady Glenconner, lady-in-waiting of Princess Margaret
 * Lorcan Cranitch as Sir John Stevens, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police
 * Jonathan Hyde as the Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshal of England
 * Richard Heap as Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury
 * Julian Wadham as David Stancliffe, the Bishop of Salisbury
 * Lizzie Hopley as Angela Kelly, Principal Dresser to the Queen
 * Bert Seymour as Tom Parker Bowles, Camilla's son
 * Clementine Blake as Laura Parker Bowles, Camilla's daughter
 * Emma Laird Craig as Sarah, Duchess of York, ex-wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York

Development
Although the series was initially planned to run for six seasons, in January 2020, creator Peter Morgan announced that it would instead conclude with the fifth season. However, in July 2020, Morgan reversed his decision and announced that the series would end with a sixth season as originally planned, saying, "As we started to discuss the storylines for Season 5, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons. To be clear, Season 6 will not bring us any closer to present-day—it will simply enable us to cover the same period in greater detail."

Casting
In January 2020, Imelda Staunton was announced as succeeding Colman as the Queen in the fifth season, and her role in the final sixth season was reported in July. The same month, Lesley Manville was announced as portraying Princess Margaret, and the following month, Jonathan Pryce and Elizabeth Debicki were cast as Prince Philip and Diana, Princess of Wales, respectively. In October 2020, Dominic West was in talks to play Prince Charles, which was officially confirmed in April 2021. In June 2021, Olivia Williams announced that she would portray Camilla Parker Bowles. In September 2022, Rufus Kampa and Ed McVey were cast as Prince William, while Meg Bellamy was cast as Kate Middleton. Viola Prettejohn was cast as young Elizabeth, while Beau Gadsdon reprised her role as young Margaret, for flashback scenes set on Victory in Europe Day.

Filming
Filming for the season began in early September 2022, but was paused following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022. Filming resumed the following week, but was paused again on the day of the Queen's funeral on 19 September 2022. Filming wrapped on 21 April 2023.

"Ghost of Diana" controversy
Shortly after releasing the teaser for season 6 on 9 October 2023, Netflix ran into controversy after an insider described a scene in which Diana would appear as a ghost in front of her ex-husband, Charles, and his mother, the Queen. After a backlash, a Netflix spokesperson claimed that: "These sensitive and thoughtful imagined conversations seek to bring to life the depth of emotion that was felt after such a seismic tragedy struck at the heart of the family." Peter Morgan said of the scenes, "I never imagined it as Diana’s ‘ghost’ in the traditional sense — it was her continuing to live vividly in the minds of those she has left behind."

Release
The season was released in two parts: the first four episodes were released on 16 November 2023, and the remaining six were made available on 14 December 2023. The trailer for the first part was released on 26 October 2023, while the trailer for the second part was released on 1 December 2023.

Critical response
According to review aggregator Metacritic, the first volume of the season received "generally favorable reviews", based on a weighted average score of 61 out 100 from 29 critics’ reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, 55% of 83 reviews are positive and the average rating is 6.2/10. The website's critics consensus states, "Elizabeth Debicki's haunting portrayal does right by the Princess of Wales, but The Crown's final season often feels like a reign extended past its prime." The BBC reported that the first four episodes "have split critics, but many have given [them] the thumbs down" in the UK, while French reviews largely praised them. The cast's performances, especially those of Debicki, Staunton, and West, were widely praised, including by critics who reviewed the season more negatively.

In a top-marked review for Newsday, Verne Gay praised the four episodes, presenting "a cohesive and deeply moving picture" of the last hours of Diana and Dodi, with particular commendation for a humane rather than a more vilified depiction of Dodi. Writing for Variety, Aramide Tinubu contended that by portraying Diana's relationship as "a comforting friendship that had only started to blossom", the show prompts viewers to reflect on the British royal family's choices, juxtaposed against the reigning monarch's stoicism and adherence to tradition, which, according to the reviewer, has led to the monarchy being perceived as "relic-like". Carol Midgley of The Times wrote that, despite some "gauche imaginings" of characters, the majority of performances were "excellent" and the show was still "a compelling piece of television with very high production values that makes you want to see more". Entertainment Weekly's Kristen Baldwin thought Diana and Dodi's romance and their deaths in Paris were depicted with a "wistful, careful, and restrained approach". Lacy Baugher from Paste gave the first part of the season a score of 7.2 out of 10 and considered it to be an "excellent Diana miniseries", but questioned its suitability as the final season, which initially had broader scope and bigger ambitions, due to its perceived simplicity or its potential bias to portray Charles in a "wildly friendly" way. In a mixed review for The Independent, Nick Hilton similarly opined that the series left little to say "about what it means to be British" as it nears its conclusion.

Reviewing the first volume for The Guardian, Lucy Mangan gave it one out of five, describing the "Diana-obsessed series" as "the very definition of bad writing", despite the "brilliant performances from the entire cast". She particularly criticised scenes featuring "Ghost Diana", which is "all of a piece with what is now simply a crass, by-numbers piece of film-making, with a script that barely aspires to craft, let alone art, any more". Caryn James, writing for BBC Culture, said that the series has "failed to right the terrible flaws of the last season", scoring it at two out of five.

In her review of the second volume for Variety, Alison Herman noted that there was a vacuum left by Diana's departure, but that similar to earlier seasons the focus shifted towards the Queen and the final moments were "an articulate expression of why ritual, stasis and pageantry matter". Writing for The New York Times, Mike Hale also noted that by moving past Diana's storyline the show was "back inside the parlors, bedrooms and country houses of Elizabeth and the other Windsors" and was again "in its comfort zone". In her review for The Independent, Katie Rosseinsky gave the second volume two out of five and concluded that "Morgan's drama is haunted by the ghost of past glories" and the people depicted "exist less as characters, more as vessels for exposition and knowing nods to present-day royal in-fighting". Anita Singh of The Telegraph also gave the second volume two out of five and believed that "Morgan had clearly run out of steam", adding that the story of William and Kate's relationship was "sweet but dull".

Historical accuracy
Episode 1 shows Princess Margaret attending Camilla's 50th birthday party in 1997, though she was not present at the event. The Queen is also keen for Camilla to not be viewed as "wicked", but there were reports that she once referred to her as "that wicked woman" in front of Charles. In episode 2, Mohamed Al-Fayed hires Italian paparazzo Mario Brenna to take photos of his son Dodi and Diana during their trip in the south of France; however, there is no evidence that Al-Fayed was behind this and Diana's biographer Tina Brown suggests that it was Diana herself who notified Brenna. The episode also suggests that news of Diana's relationship with Dodi broke during her trip to Bosnia and she was disturbed by the media enquiring about them, but in reality, the photos of them did not appear in the papers until a few days after the trip was over.

Episode 3 features a scene during which Diana and Dodi are forced into the Repossi jewellery store in Monte Carlo while trying to escape a group of fans. In reality, Dodi visited the Paris branch of Repossi quietly and purchased a ring which he kept at his apartment, rather than at the Ritz hotel where he and Diana were staying, making the scene showing his proposal fictitious. Episode four focuses on the row within the royal family about whether or not Diana should have a public funeral, which Buckingham Palace denied ever happened. Another fictional plot involves Prince William going missing in Scotland for fourteen hours shortly after his mother's death.

Episode 7 depicts Kate Middleton and her mother Carole buying a copy of The Big Issue from Prince William and his mother Diana on the street in December 1996; however, Diana and William never sold any copies of the magazine together, making the whole scene fictional. Another plotline involves William dating a fictional character named Lola Airdale-Cavendish-Kincaid. The episode also relates William's initial dissatisfaction with St Andrews to his supposed sense of loneliness whereas according to his biographers he was mainly unimpressed with how small and provincial the school was. Episode 8 shows Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret taking part in VE Day celebrations at The Ritz, though there is no record of the sisters visiting the hotel's basement bar the Pink Sink and dancing jitterbug. The episode also falsely shows the Queen attending Margaret's 70th birthday party without Philip.

Episode 9 shows Prince William and Kate Middleton starting to date after she walks on the stage at a charity fashion show on the day the Queen Mother died. However, the show took place four days before her demise. Both are also shown to spend time together as a couple during the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002, but they reportedly did not start dating until 2003. The episode shows Sir John Stevens, who led Operation Paget, publicly refuting Mohamed Al-Fayed's conspiracies about Diana and Dodi's deaths, but no set-piece public speech was delivered by Stevens on the matter. Contrary to what the episode shows Al-Fayed also never left Britain. There were also no credible polls published in the 2000s that suggested more than 50% of the public believed Diana was murdered. The scenes showing William and Harry's relationship falling apart as early as 2002 were also fictional.

Episode 10 features a fictional plotline in which the Queen is shown to self-debate the idea of abdication in favour of her son Charles in the days leading up to his wedding to Camilla.