As soon as season three of Netflix’s critically acclaimed drama The Crown dropped in November 2019, fans were already clamoring for a taste of what’s to come in season four.
The historical drama follows the life of Queen Elizabeth II, starting from her young-adult years to the modern day. Season one saw Princess Elizabeth rise to power and marry Prince Philip, and chronicled her hand in the political turmoil that engulfed England in the mid-1950s. Season two continued by following the queen’s personal struggles and triumphs, including the birth of Prince Edward. In season three, we got to see a messy love quadrangle involving Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, a brilliant storyline with Princess Anne, and more.
The drama on The Crown has never been juicier, which means fans are already looking forward to what season four will bring.
Now we officially have our first teaser trailer, and we are pumped. We see Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman) in uniform on horseback in the opening frames. “Something as important as the monarchy simply cannot be allowed to fail,” she says in voiceover. You then catch glimpses of Margaret Thatcher and a few shots of Diana, though mostly the back of her head—including a full-frame shot of her exiting a room in her famous wedding gown.
Netflix also revealed the release date for the new season: November 15.
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And on September 29, Netflix released new images, including your first look at Princess Diana:
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On October 13, Netflix dropped another trailer that centers around Princess Diana—but with the rest of the main cast making appearances too. The tone is ominous and, as any royals watcher knows, there is not a happily ever after around the corner here.
And Netflix dropped another trailer on October 29 that shows Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher facing off:
Check out everything else we know so far below.
Season four of The Crown will include Princess Diana. In April 2019, Netflix announced that it had finally cast its Princess Diana. Taking on the role will be newcomer Emma Corrin. “Emma is a brilliant talent who immediately captivated us when she came in for the part of Diana Spencer,” Peter Morgan, the creator of The Crown, told the Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
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“Beyond excited and honored to be joining The Crown for its fourth season,” Corrin said in a statement. “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!”
Josh O’Connor, who plays Prince Charles, played it coy about specific Charles and Di plots in the upcoming season but did reveal he thinks it’s going to be awesome. “You’re going to meet Diana in the next series, and I won’t tell you the specific plots and things, but it’s been a real treat," he told InStyle. “Emma Corrin is playing Diana, and playing her unbelievably well, and it’s terrific. A lot of season four is about Charles and Diana, and what’s exciting about it, and what Peter Morgan does so well, is that he tells the story that we don’t know and he goes behind the closed doors. It kind of feels like a fresh story, and I think it’s going to be the best season yet, in my opinion.”
Here’s the first real image of that wedding dress moment. On October 4, we got a better look at Emma Corrin as Diana on her wedding day. The show’s official Twitter account posted a photo and the message that “Emmy award-winning costume designer Amy Roberts wanted to capture the same spirit and style of David & Elizabeth Emanuel’s original design, without creating a replica for Emma Corrin.”
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It’s unclear what exactly makes the dress stand apart from the original, or why the creative team made that decision, but we do know that the dress, replica or not, is beautiful, and Corrin looks amazing.
For comparison’s sake, here is the real thing:
Season four of The Crown will show us a different side of Prince Charles. O’Connor’s portrayal of the Prince of Wales garnered a lot of sympathy in season three, as fans saw a young man torn between his duty to his country and family and what he actually wanted to do with his life. That could all change as the fourth season explores his relationship with Diana.
“I was so pleased that most of the feedback has been people saying, ‘Oh my God, I feel so sorry for Prince Charles, that poor boy.’ Because I’m now going to strip that right away,” the actor told InStyle. “The only thing I’m interested in is the nuance. I don’t think anyone is purely evil or purely brilliant, certainly for Prince Charles. And rgI think Diana wasn’t completely innocent—again, I’m talking fictionally, in our story—so there’s kind of ups and downs. There’s difficulty with Camilla and the whole family. It’s going to be, hopefully, a real journey, and interesting art for people to watch.”
Claire Foy will make a return appearance. Olivia Colman took over the role of Queen Elizabeth from Foy for season three—and will continue on for season four. However, Foy was recently spotted filming a flashback seen for the series. Her outfit (a white dress and pearls) in the Daily Mail photos suggests that the scene will re-create a famous radio broadcast then Princess Elizabeth made from South Africa in 1947 to commemorate her 21st birthday. In the speech, which you can see a photograph of below, she pledged her life to the service of the Commonwealth.
Prince William makes his debut in season four. Well, a baby actor playing Prince William, that is. ET Canada has photos from the set, which appear to be a re-creation of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s royal tour of Australia in 1983 with a then nine-month-old William. Hopefully we’ll get to see Prince Harry (born in 1984) during the season too.
Margaret Thatcher’s biographer, Charles Moore, says there are some historical inaccuracies. Gillian Anderson takes on the role of the famous prime minister in the upcoming season, but Moore says not all the details are correct.
“Once the narrative turns to political events, the details go haywire,” he wrote in the Telegraph. “Small examples: Her then chancellor, Geoffrey Howe, never tried to impede the Falklands War and did not attend the key meeting where it was decided to send in the task force; her most important private secretary, Charles Powell, was not working for her at that time; her son Mark was not lost (and found) in the desert just as the Falklands were invaded.”
However, he had high praise for Anderson's performance. “Gillian Anderson, as Mrs. Thatcher, captures the careful precision of her dress, hair, and voice, and the exaggerated depth of her curtsy, which made courtiers laugh,” he wrote. “This is the only convincing performance I have seen of Mrs. Thatcher as prime minister.”
Stay tuned for more details. We’ll keep updating this post as they come in.
