Next month, the fifth season of Netflix’s hit drama “The Crown” will make its debut. The show is a mostly fictionalized account of the life and reign of former Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, from her marriage to the then Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten in 1947 all the way into the 21st century. For the fifth season, the show has undergone its second wholescale recasting, with Imelda Staunton (“Downton Abbey: A New Era”) taking over the role of former Queen Elizabeth II, who was previously played by Claire Foy (“A Very British Scandal”) in the first two seasons and Olivia Colman (“Broadchurch”) in seasons three and four. Jonathan Pryce (“Tomorrow Never Dies”) will also join the cast as the Duke of Edinburgh, who was previously played by Matt Smith (“Doctor Who”) in the first two seasons and Tobias Menzies (“The Relief of Belsen”) in seasons three and four.

The fifth season is set to cover the breakdown along with the eventual nasty divorce between the former Prince of Wales (now King Charles III) and Lady Diana Spencer, played by Dominic West (“The Wire”) and Elizabeth Debicki (“Tenet”), respectively. Other events that will be covered this season include the former Queen’s annus horribilis, the fire that destroyed the ancient Windsor Castle and the premiership of Sir John Major (Jonny Lee Miller, “Elementary”) and the early years of Sir Tony Blair’s (Bertie Carvel, “Dalgliesh”) premiership. Prince William will also be properly introduced this season, played by West’s son Senan West in his screen debut.

One thing viewers can expect is that the season will take a dark turn at the end. In August 1997, following her divorce with the Prince of Wales, Lady Diana and her romantic partner Dodi Fayed were visiting Paris when they snuck out of the back of a hotel to avoid the paparazzi. Unfortunately, the paparazzi caught up with the couple and while trying to evade the press, the car Diana was in crashed in a Parisian tunnel. The injuries Diana sustained as a result of this crash would be the direct cause of her death.

While it is not seen in the trailer, leaks from filming have shown what appears to be a state funeral, with the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales accompanying a coffin draped in a royal standard. This all but confirms that season five will cover the death of Lady Diana.

The upcoming premier is not without controversy. It will debut on Netflix exactly two months and one day following the death of former Queen Elizabeth II and more than a year following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh. While production on the sixth season was temporarily halted as a manner of respect for the late Queen, calls have intensified for Netflix to add a disclaimer to the show, pointing out that the events depicted are a fictionalized portrayal of history and not an actual genuine historical account. The fourth season was notorious as it was considered to be the most inaccurate of the entire series, and it would be an understatement to call the portrayal of the man who is now King Charles III unflattering. 

The fifth season is expected to be the penultimate season, and season six is expected to wrap everything, potentially going all the way to the passing of former Queen Elizabeth II. It is fascinating to see this period of royal history being covered, but at the same time, there is the lingering concern that it may not be treated with the respect it deserves and over how accurate it is. Nevertheless, it is refreshing to see Peter Morgan’s (“Bohemian Rhapsody”) hit drama come back with what may as well be its last hurrah.

Image from Netflix via YouTube