"The Crown" Is Coming To An End, But Not Before Tackling One More Unforgettable Royal Era — Here's What We Know

The Crown is almost over, but not without a few more surprises up its sleeve.

The Crown has been one of Netflix's biggest shows since its debut in the fall of 2016 — fans are anxiously awaiting Season 6 and simultaneously dreading the end of the series.

Here's everything we know about what the last season of this masterful historical drama:

1. OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE: Part 1 of Season 6 will release on November 16, 2023, and Part 2 will follow on December 14.

The sixth and final season of The Crown is coming.

Part 1 | November 16
Part 2 | December 14 pic.twitter.com/zXWpFnqPQP

— Netflix (@netflix) October 9, 2023

Twitter: @netflix

2. Yep, that's right. Season 6 will be released in TWO PARTS.

Courtesy of Netflix

Part 1 will have four episodes and cover Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed's relationship, as well as the 1997 Paris car crash that led to their deaths.

Part 2 will have six episodes and include the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, as well as focusing on Charles and Diana's sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.

3. Here's the teaser with the official date announcement:

Netflix / Via youtube.com

You can hear all three leading actors who've played Queen Elizabeth on the show discussing the symbolism of the crown.

Queen Elizabeth (Claire Foy): "The crown is a symbol of permanence. It's something you are, not what you do."

Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman): "Some portion of our natural selves is always lost. We have all made sacrifices. It is not a choice, it is a duty."

Queen Elizabeth (Imelda Staunton): "But what about the life I put aside? The woman I put aside?"

4. The final season of The Crown will be the first season of the series to be produced and released since Queen Elizabeth II's death.

Wpa Pool / Getty Images

According to Variety, the series suspended production on the day of the queen's death, the following day, and the day of her funeral. Data from Whip Media shared by The Guardian also indicates that viewership of the series, which follows the late monarch's historic and eventful reign, rose more than 800% in the United Kingdom and quadrupled on average globally the weekend after the queen's death in comparison to the weekend prior.

5. While we all wish the show could go on forever, this will definitely be the series' final season.

Netflix

In an interview on Broadcast Now, producer Suzanne Mackie explained why creator Peter Morgan was adamant about ending with Season 6.

"Peter has said it very articulately, that he simply can’t write something unless there has been time to gain a proper perspective," she noted. "I don’t think he’ll deviate from that."

Netflix

"We all know these stories, but what Peter does so brilliantly is get underneath that, and understand the landscape in a more nuanced, complex, surprising way," she continued.

"The minute he starts trying to do that sooner, it will inevitably feel contrived or artificial. So, although this has been an absolute career highlight for me, it will absolutely be time to move on."

6. The principal cast of Season 5 will all return for the final season.

David M. Benett / Jed Cullen/Dave Benett / WireImage

Imelda Staunton continues to play Queen Elizabeth II, with Jonathan Pryce as her Prince Philip. Dominic West continues his stint as Prince Charles, with Elizabeth Debicki as Diana. 

7. Actor Viola Prettejohn will appear as a fourth iteration of Queen Elizabeth II as a teenage princess strolling with her sister, Princess Margaret, on VE Day, May 8, 1945.

Netflix

8. Claire Foy and Olivia Colman will return one last time to play QEII in her younger years.

Netflix

9. The timeline of Season 6 will begin in 1997 and is expected to go into the early 2000s, per British Vogue.

The Hollywood Reporter / Netflix / Via youtube.com

10. That means we won't ever see Meghan Markle on the show, which Peter Morgan himself confirmed in a 2020 chat with The Hollywood Reporter.

Kevin Mazur / Getty Images Ms. Foundation for Women

"I just think you get so much more interesting [with time]. Meghan and Harry are in the middle of their journey, and I don’t know what their journey is or how it will end. One wishes some happiness, but I’m much more comfortable writing about things that happened at least 20 years ago," he explained. 

"I sort of have in my head a 20-year rule. That is enough time and enough distance to really understand something, to understand its role, to understand its position, to understand its relevance. Often things that appear absolutely wildly important today are instantly forgotten, and other things have a habit of sticking around and proving to be historically very relevant and long-lasting. I don’t know where in the scheme of things Prince Andrew or indeed Meghan Markle or Harry will ever appear. We won’t know, and you need time to stop something being journalistic. And so I don’t want to write about them because to write about them would instantly make it journalistic. And there are plenty of journalists already writing about them."

11. That timeline also implies that we'll see Charles and Camilla's wedding, which Netflix seems to have confirmed on Twitter.

After six seasons, seven years and three casts, @TheCrownNetflix comes to an end later this year.

We’ll be back with more soon, but here’s a hint at what’s to come in our final season. pic.twitter.com/zHbeqEqqWv

— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) September 4, 2023

Twitter: @NetflixUK / Via Twitter: @NetflixUK

12. The filming surrounding Princess Diana's death, which will be a major point in the season, was surrounded by "a certain anxiety," a source close to production told Deadline.

Princess Diana Archive / Getty Images

"We've been dreading getting to this point. The countdown is two weeks and while we’re calmly carrying on it’s fair to acknowledge that there’s a certain anxiety, a palpable sense of being slightly on edge. I mean, there’s bombshell sensitivity surrounding this one," the source said.

13. There won't be any attempts to recreate Diana's fatal car crash, nor will footage of the crash appear.

Peter Turnley / Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

Deadline's source also indicated that in efforts to handle the tragic story delicately, there won't be anything too gory or visually jarring. 

"It’s the run-up: the car leaving The Ritz after midnight with paparazzi in pursuit and then the aftermath with the British Ambassador to France swinging into action with the Foreign Office and then the subsequent constitutional aftermath."

14. Two actors will portray Prince William.

Netflix/Justin Downing

Rufus Kampa will play William as a 15-year-old, while Ed McVey (pictured above) will play the future monarch as a young adult.

15. Meg Bellamy will play Kate Middleton in her college years

Netflix/Justin Downing

16. We actually got our first look at Ed McVey and Meg Bellamy as William and Kate:

Justin Downing / Justin Downing/Netflix

17. Prince Harry will be played by Luther Ford.

David M. Benett / Dave Benett / Getty Images for Dior

18. Prince Harry's 2005 Nazi costume scandal will be, at minimum, addressed within the season's events.

Anwar Hussein / Getty Images

Photos from filming with a newspaper headline reveal that Prince Harry's controversial costume at a "Native and Colonials" party that got him in hot water with the press and the royal family is part of the action, though not to what degree it will be discussed.

What are you most looking forward to from The Crown? What's been your favorite part so far? Discuss in the comments!