‘The Crown’ final season plot details, premiere date revealed

They’re taking one last final royal bow. 

Netflix’s royal family drama “The Crown,” which has scored 21 Emmy wins to date, has announced that the sixth and final season will premiere in two parts.

Part 1 will premiere on Nov. 16, and Part 2 will premiere on Dec. 14. 

This season will cover events from 1997 through 2005 – so, as creator Peter Morgan has previously stated, it will not cover the era of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. 

Netflix’s synopsis of the final season reads: “A relationship blossoms between Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed before a fateful car journey has devastating consequences. Prince William tries to integrate back into life at Eton in the wake of his mother’s death as the monarchy has to ride the wave of public opinion. As she reaches her Golden Jubilee, the Queen reflects on the future of the monarchy with the marriage of Charles and Camilla and the beginnings of a new Royal fairytale in William and Kate.”

The first teaser for the season focuses on Queen Elizabeth II, showing all three actresses who have played her (Claire Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton) since the show began in 2016, as her voiceover emphasizes the duty of the crown. 

There is no footage of any other character in the new teaser — such as Princess Diana, or Prince William and Kate Middleton. 

Although the show has cycled through actors as the characters have aged and the story has moved through decades, much of the cast will remain the same from Season 5. 

Elizabeth Debicki will reprise her role as Princess Diana alongside Dominic West as Prince Charles – both actors having taken over the roles from Emma Corrin and Josh O’Connor, who played the unhappy couple in Season 4. 

Olivia Williams will return as Camilla Parker Bowles, which she also played in Season 5. 

Imelda Staunton will continue playing Queen Elizabeth II, with Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip and Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret.  

Salim Daw will return as Mohamed Al Fayed, and Khalid Abdalla will return as Dodi Fayed. 

Newcomer Rufus Kampa will make his debut as a young Prince William, and Fflyn Edwards will make his debut on the show as a young Prince Harry.

According to Netflix, Part 1, which will consist of four episodes, will showcase Princess Diana’s relationship with Fayed, leading up to their fatal 1997 car crash in Paris, when the People’s Princess was 37. 

The show has already ignited controversy over depicting Princess Diana’s death onscreen. 

“To be going back to Paris and turning Diana’s final days and hours into a drama feels very uncomfortable. Finally, some of the crew members are pushing back,” sources told the Sun in October 2022. 

Part 2 will be six episodes, following the fallout from Princess Diana’s tragic death. It will follow a teen Prince William in school, the royal family navigating the public reaction, Charles and Bowles’ 2005 wedding, and the early days of William and Kate’s romance. 

Newcomers Ed McVey, 23, and Meg Bellamy, 19, will play Prince William and Kate, and Luther Ford will play Prince Harry. 

“The Crown” Season 6 premieres on November 16 on Netflix.