The end and legacy of The Crown

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It’s always difficult when a series you’ve been following for a long time ends. There is an empty feeling of not being able to wait any longer for new adventures and challenges from characters who, most of the time, seem to become intimate. I feel like this will be the situation with me when I watch part 2 of the sixth season of The Crown, which premiered this weekend on Netflix. I haven’t had the courage to watch it yet, because I feel like I’m going to miss Elizabeth. Go figure…

Now, Elizabeth tries to understand her legacy and also further prepare Charles and William to assume the throne when she is gone. We follow all the stages, the entire journey, of this sensational woman. It all started in 2016, with the premiere of the first season of the series. The Crown It was one of the most expensive ever produced – each episode cost around £5 million. And it all started with the abdication of the queen’s uncle, King Edward VIII, which completely changed the history of Elizabeth and England.

The way

The series had different groups of performers every two seasons. Claire Foy, became a star, playing Elizabeth in the first two. This was also the case for Vanessa Kirby, who played Princess Margaret. Claire won an Emmy for best actress (and would later win another, as a guest actress in season 3). John Lithgow, as Winston Churchill, was also awarded a supporting role.

In 2021, with the new cast, more awards. Olivia Colman won the Emmy for best actress, and Josh O’Connor (Prince Charles) for best actor. Gillian Anderson (Margaret Thatcher) and Tobias Menzies (Prince Phillip) received the supporting awards. This was also the year in which the series was voted the best of the year.

The last seasons

In the fifth and sixth seasons, Imelda Staunton took on the role of Elizabeth. She’s always excellent, but you can’t help but be fascinated by Elizabeth Debicki’s performance as Diana. She is competing in all of this year’s primaries, including the Emmys. I highlighted the Emmys here, but there were many more: Golden Globes, Critics Choice, SAG Awards. In the case of SAG’s, they even won the award for best cast. Only BAFTA and the English Oscar showed little affection for the series. Of course, this is perfectly understandable, after all they are British, and the royal family is always present at BAFTA events. Only Vanessa Kirby was awarded among all the cast.

The last episode takes place in 2005. That is 17 years before the queen died. The creator of the series, Peter Morgan, explained in an interview with Variety, that “I believe that stopping almost 20 years before the present time is a worthy thing. He further added that with this decision, he maintains the series as “historical, not journalistic.” There are, however, rumors that Netflix is already discussing a new series – which would be a prequel – under the umbrella of The Crown. In theory, everything would take place 50 years before Edward’s abdication, that is, during the time of Queen Victoria. And let’s agree that this one would also have a lot of story to tell…