© Des Willie/Netflix
What's New
And all the details we know so far on the Netflix show
Yes, and it’s predictably emotional, not to mention visually stunning—watch it in full below.
Netflix also previously released a 33-second glimpse of the fourth series, including a first look at Emma Corrin as Diana, Princess of Wales. Specifically, the young royal appears with her back to the camera—stepping out of her flat on Old Brompton Road, where she lived before her engagement, into the glare of flashbulbs, and wearing her wedding dress.
The Crown season four will be released on Netflix on 15 November.
© Des Willie/Netflix
Per tradition, the cast of The Crown season three will return for a second round of the royal drama. Academy Award winner Olivia Colman will reprise the role of Queen Elizabeth II, first played by the enigmatic Claire Foy. Foy is also said to be making an appearance in season four, having been spotted on set filming scenes from what is believed to be a recreation of the Queen’s 21st birthday broadcast from Cape Town, South Africa, in 1947. Helena Bonham Carter and Tobias Menzies will continue as Princess Margaret (originally portrayed by Vanessa Kirby) and Prince Philip (originally portrayed by Matt Smith).
As for the younger generation of royals, Josh O’Connor will return as Prince Charles, while Erin Doherty and Emerald Fennell will continue to portray Princess Anne and Camilla, respectively. Perhaps most excitingly, season four will be our first introduction to a young Diana, Princess of Wales, played by newcomer Emma Corrin. “Emma is a brilliant talent who immediately captivated us when she came in for the part of Diana Spencer. As well as having the innocence and beauty of a young Diana, she also has, in abundance, the range and complexity to portray an extraordinary woman who went from anonymous teenager to becoming the most iconic woman of her generation,” Peter Morgan, The Crown’s creator, said of casting Corrin.
“[I’m] beyond excited and honoured to be joining The Crown for its fourth season,” Corrin told The Hollywood Reporter when the news was first revealed. “I have been glued to the show since the first episode, and to think I’m now joining this incredibly talented acting family is just surreal. Princess Diana was an icon, and her effect on the world remains profound and inspiring. To be given the chance to explore her through Peter Morgan’s writing is the most exceptional opportunity, and I will strive to do her justice!” Gillian Anderson joins the cast in the role of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, too.
© Des Willie/Netflix
Filming for season four of The Crown wrapped shortly before lockdown began. Members of the cast both past and present were spotted filming scenes, including Foy’s aforementioned flashback.
Other scenes that appear to have been filmed include Princess Diana and Prince Charles’s 1983 Royal Tour of Australia, with Corrin and O’Connor spotted in Spain in 2019 recreating their journey. Corrin was pictured wearing a handful of the late Princess Diana’s most famous ensembles from the trip, including a head-to-toe pink look worn in Perth, and an all-white outfit from the couple’s visit to Ayers Rock.
In 2020, Corrin was spotted filming additional scenes around the UK. One snap of the actor on set shows her waving to photographers outside The Savoy in London. The scene calls to mind Princess Diana’s arrival at the hotel for the Barnardo’s Champion Awards in 1989, and Corrin’s costume—a floral, one-shoulder dress—reflects one of the royal’s favourite silhouettes. She frequently wore dresses with asymmetric necklines by one of her go-to designers, Catherine Walker.
© Des Willie/Netflix
Additionally, Corrin and O’Connor were seen filming scenes together in Winchester. Corrin’s outfit—a high neck blue floral dress, beige overcoat and white court shoes—suggests the cast was filming a recreation of Princess Diana and Prince Charles’s final wedding rehearsal at St Paul’s Cathedral in 1981. The rehearsal saw a 20-year-old Diana and her groom making final preparations for the royal wedding, which the world got to see in July 1981.
On February 10, Corrin was spotted again on set, this time in Manchester. Pictured wearing a candy-coloured houndstooth skirt suit, Corrin’s look calls to mind Princess Diana’s visit to an AIDS clinic in New York City in 1993.
Later during filming the actor was photographed wearing a white beaded floor-length gown while smiling to a flag-waving crowd. The scene is almost certainly a recreation of her royal character’s trip to New York City in 1989, during which she attended a gala dinner at the Winter Garden. For the engagement, Princess Diana wore a Victor Edelstein gown with a coordinating bolero jacket. It was one of many gowns the British designer made for the royal throughout the 1980s.
© Alex Bailey/Netflix
Season three picked up the storyline around 1964, tackling Harold Wilson’s election as Prime Minister and ending with Her Majesty’s Silver Jubilee in 1977. It’s likely that season four will unfold against the backdrop of the ’80s and early ’90s—a memorably tumultuous time for The Firm.
Thatcher served as Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990, so it’s fair to assume that she will feature heavily in the drama. Weighty political events from the period include the Falklands War and the miners’ strike.
The marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana will no doubt be dissected, along with their separation and divorce. Their wedding day, which took place on July 29, 1981, will likely be the focus of an entire episode.
© Des Willie/Netflix
Princes William and Harry, born in 1982 and 1984, respectively, will no doubt make their first appearances within the series, albeit as infants. Prince William did accompany his parents on the 1983 tour of Australia, though there was no sign of a baby in the glimpses of filming that have emerged.
It’s also safe to assume a newly divorced Princess Margaret will continue to command screen time.
Otherwise, the infamous Buckingham House intruder, Michael Fagan, who broke into Her Majesty’s bedroom in 1982, could present an interesting storyline for show creator Peter Morgan, likewise Marcus Sarjeant, the man who fired six blank shots at the Queen during the 1981 Trooping the Colour.
© Des Willie/Netflix
Peter Morgan announced in January 2020 that the fifth season of The Crown would be the last. “At the outset, I had imagined The Crown running for six seasons but now that we have begun work on the stories for season five it has become clear to me that this is the perfect time and place to stop,” he explained at the time in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. But since then, Morgan has had a change of heart, and in July 2020 it was confirmed that the team will stick to its original plan, and spread the action over six seasons. “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 said in a statement. “To be clear, series six will not bring us any closer to present-day—it will simply enable us to cover the same period in greater detail.” Still, more episodes of the sweeping drama to get lost in can only be a good thing.
This article originally appeared on Vogue.co.uk
Has The Crown changed how we view the royal family?
11 historical dramas to watch as you wait for The Crown to return