Fans of The Crown got a delightful surprise on August 17 when Netflix released official images of the forthcoming season’s new cast members. Outtakes of the upcoming fifth season show stills of Dominic West, who will be playing Prince Charles, and Elizabeth Debicki, who will be Princess Diana — both looking appropriately pensive and glum. Naturally, we are getting increasingly excited for the new season and all the regency-core drama that will come along with it. From exciting casting news to the depiction of the royal family in more recent eras, here’s what you need to know about season 5 of The Crown.

Who will star in the upcoming season of The Crown?

The Crown has a habit of doing a complete cast overhaul every two seasons to represent the family at different stages in their lives. Season 3 and 4 were praised for appointing Josh O’Connor and Emma Corrin, who delivered an astonishingly similar portrayal of the real Charles and Diana. And despite switching up the actors for the upcoming season, Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana is already anticipated to be another great choice, though, some are saying Dominic West is simply too attractive to be playing a realistic Prince Charles. Ouch.

Reprising the role of Queen Elizabeth II will be Imelda Staunton — known for her roles in Harry Potter and Downton Abbey. Netflix released a still of the actor in character, wearing a classic double string of pearls and looking on stoically, embodying the monarch’s calm and steady demeanour. The queen’s husband, Prince Philip, will be played by Jonathan Price, known from Game of Thrones and The Two Popes.

Photography courtesy of Netflix Canada

The new season will also feature Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Claudia Harrison as Princess Anne, and Johnny Lee Miller as John Major, who was the U.K. Prime Minister from 1990 to 1997.

What is the plot of The Crown season 5?

The final two seasons of the drama series will follow the events that took place from the 1990s to the early 2000s — but will not portray present day happenings within the royal family. The fourth season ended with an unhappily married Charles and Diana, so the upcoming season will likely highlight their divorce in 1996 as well as the public exposure of Charles and Camilla’s affair. This time period also saw the divorces of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, as well as Princess Anne and Mark Phillips. The upcoming seasons are covering a dark era in the British royal family, from the terrible fire at Windsor Castle to the death of the Queen’s mother, Princess Margaret and Princess Diana in the subsequent years. Viewers are definitely in for some morose episodes throughout the final two seasons of The Crown.

When is the release date of The Crown season 5?

The fifth season of the drama series began filming in July 2021 and is expected to be released for streaming on Netflix in early 2022. And although a decision was made earlier this year to end The Crown after season 5, creator Peter Morgan changed his mind and later confirmed that there will be a sixth and final season after all. No trailer has been released yet, but in the meantime, viewers can revisit seasons 1 to 4 of The Crown on Netflix now.

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