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How will The Crown end in series 6? Potential storylines for the Netflix show's grand finale

Netflix
Netflix

The Crown’s reign over Netflix is coming to an end - but not just yet.

Despite insisting in January that the show would finish after five series, contrary to previously outlined plans, show creator Peter Morgan has taken an about turn, announcing that we will get six seasons of the royal drama after all.

“As we started to discuss the storylines for series five, 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," he explained.

Imelda Staunton will take over from Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II for the final two series, with Lesley Manville stepping into the role of her younger sister Princess Margaret.

Morgan previously told reporters that he had found a "perfect" end point for the show - one which will take it "into the 21st century" - and has now confirmed that the additional series "will not bring us any closer to present day - it will simply enable us to cover the same period in greater detail." We can assume, then, that the new plans won't compromise the grand finale he has already sketched out.

Olivia Colman will hand the throne over to Imelda Staunton in series five (Netflix )
Olivia Colman will hand the throne over to Imelda Staunton in series five (Netflix )

It’s become a punchline to suggest that every twist and turn of recent royal dramas (and there have certainly been many to choose from) would be excellent fodder for future instalments of The Crown - but getting to the point where the show would catch up with the present day was really never Morgan’s intention.

Instead, by looking at the time frames of past series - and taking his “21st century” comment into account - we can expect things to tie up in the early to mid 00s.

Season three spanned 13 years (from 1964 to 1977), so we can safely assume that the next instalment will cover a similar time frame, potentially kicking off in 1980, when Prince Charles and Diana were first linked. The events leading up to their separation in 1992 might make a sensible end point for round four - so series five could then perhaps deal with the royals' response to the death of Princess Diana (which Morgan has previously explored in his film The Queen) and season six could potentially cover the early 00s (we're holding out for an episode devoted to the dramatic opening of the Millennium Dome, featuring a bomb alert thought to threaten the Queen and the Prime Minister, Tony Blair - which was later revealed to be a hoax.)

But what will this “perfect” conclusion be? Compared to the scandals - and tragedies - of the 90s, the 00s were a smoother ride for the royals, but there are still a handful of milestone events that could each make for a fitting - and emotional - finale to the series...

Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother’s death (2002)

2002 was a difficult year for the Queen (Sion Touhig/Getty Images)
2002 was a difficult year for the Queen (Sion Touhig/Getty Images)

For Her Majesty, 2002 was a year marred by grief as she mourned two deaths in quick succession. Her younger sister, Princess Margaret, died in February after suffering a stroke; her mother Elizabeth then passed away in March at the age of 101.

Given that so much of Morgan’s series has been dedicated to exploring the Queen’s sometimes uneasy relationship with her sister (and, to a lesser extent, her close bond with her mother), the loss of those closest to her will surely cast an indelible shadow over the series’ end.

The Golden Jubilee (2002)

The Queen and Prince Philip celebrating the Golden Jubilee in 2002 (Georges De Keerle/Getty Image)
The Queen and Prince Philip celebrating the Golden Jubilee in 2002 (Georges De Keerle/Getty Image)

Morgan loves to play with contrasts, so the juxtaposition of the Queen’s double bereavement with her Golden Jubilee just weeks later will surely prove irresistible material for his finale.

Think along the lines of the last episode of series three, which contrasted national celebrations for the 25th anniversary of Elizabeth’s reign with the Queen’s internal tumult as she attempted to rally Margaret following her overdose. A jubilee is a natural point for reflection, too - cue a soft focus montage of The Crown’s Queens past, like a greatest hits reel.

Prince Charles' wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles (2005)

Prince Charles married the Duchess of Cornwall in 2005 (Georges De Keerle/Getty Images)
Prince Charles married the Duchess of Cornwall in 2005 (Georges De Keerle/Getty Images)

Should Morgan wish to draw the show out a little longer, Prince Charles’ second wedding to his long-time love Camilla could be another fitting end point.

After their romance in the late 70s (as played out by Josh O’Connor and Emerald Fennell in series three), followed by their respective marriages (to other people) and the very public splits that ensued, the couple finally tied the knot in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall in 2005, chosen to avoid potential religious controversy over the future head of the Church of England marrying again in a church.

The Queen and Prince Philip did not attend the civil wedding (due to the monarch’s religious role as Defender of the Faith, it was rumoured) but were present at the subsequent Service of Prayer at St George’s Chapel and hosted a reception for the pair at Windsor Castle.

Series three established a fascinating dynamic between the Queen and her eldest son - and hinted at the family’s attempts to split Charles from his ‘unsuitable’ first love - so finishing with a very modern royal wedding would be an intriguing conclusion for this storyline.

Perhaps Morgan will imagine the Queen admitting that her son should have prioritised love over duty in the first place?

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