It has been confirmed that the final season of The Crown will follow a young Prince William as he comes to terms with his ‘mother’s death' but, following the release of the season's trailer, there's already uproar over the upcoming release.
- The sixth and final season of Netflix's The Crown will follow the fallout from Princess Diana's untimely death and document how her son Prince William dealt with the news.
- Alongside upset over the show's handling of the Princess's passing, there is also uproar over the planned staggered release of episodes that will see the show hit Netflix in two separate parts.
- In other royal news, Princess Diana broke this royal tradition when son Prince William was aged 3 and he’s followed suit with his own kids.
Anticipation for the release of the sixth and final ever series of Netflix's hit royal drama The Crown has been growing ever since actors were first spotted recreating memorable royal moments across the country back in 2022.
It feels like we've been waiting forever to hear some news about the new season, but finally it has been announced that the final instalment will be hitting our screens next month [November].
Following on from The Crown season five, the new season, according to the Netflix synopsis, 'covers events from 1997 through to 2005, broadly spanning the tenure of Tony Blair.' This means that, as fans who have been following coverage of the production teams movements will know, season six will detail Princess Diana's tragic Paris accident that ultimately saw her lose her life.
Played by actress Elizabeth Debicki, viewers will watch Diana's blossoming relationship with Dodi Fayed before baring witness to their untimely deaths. The show will then follow Prince William, played by Rufus Kampa, as he comes to term with his mother's death.
Netflix explains, "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."
Ever since Netflix were seen recreating Diana's Paris accident, upset over the raw feelings still invoked by the ordeal has meant there's been a lot of backlash. From friends of Princess Diana labelling The Crown as ‘entitled’ and ‘insensitive’ to royal experts sharing their belief that reliving memories in Netflix’s new season of The Crown will be “incredibly hard" for Prince Harry and Prince William, there has already been a lot of discourse despite the show not yet being released.
But following a new announcement from the team, royal fans have yet another complaint. In a statement, Netflix shared to mixed reaction that season six of The Crown will be released in two parts. The first part will see four episodes released on 16 November while the remaining six episodes will be released nearly a month later on 14 December.
Some fans were immediately upset over the news and took to Twitter to share their opinions on the two-part release. One wrote, "Why two parts??? Boooooooo," while another commented on the show's Instagram announcement, "I’m not emotionally prepared for this at all."
Others are hopeful that the staggered release will make for better viewing. One fan took to Twitter to share their opinion, writing, "Something tells me it [releasing the show in two parts] was necessary for it to be a good season and they’re doing it to make up for the snoozefest that was season five." Another added, "A TWO PART FINAL SEASON… making it longer and easier to say goodbye."
As well as showing the fallout from Diana's death, Netflix will also cover a range of momentous royal moments throughout its final season.
Netflix shared in their statement, "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 sixth season being the show's final installment may have come as a surprise to some, but ever since the show's conception it has always been the plan to finish with six seasons. Netflix's head of content, Ted Sarandos, told The Hollywood Reporter back in 2016, “It’s a crazy idea to come in with a 60-hour pitch. The idea is to do this over six decades, in six seasons presumably, and make the whole show over eight to 10 years."
Despite all the backlash, the show's producers have long defended their approach to covering sensitive topics. How their depictions go down is yet to be seen, but there isn't long to wait now.