‘The Crown’ Teaser: Final Season Will Feature Prince Charles’ Second Royal Wedding

To whom?

Honestly this is probably the season I'm looking forward to least. Even ignoring the Crowns seasonal rot over the last couple of years they're going to have to send so much time on Diana's death, and the aftermath and Peter Morgan himself already covered that extensively in The Queen and for Sussex related reasons its an era that's been constantly rebrought up in the public eye the last few years already anyway.

Yeah every since the Crown entered the years I personally remember, it's been less interesting. I'm so so so sick of Diana

[quote] I'm so so so sick of Diana

Well, good thing she's dead.

As she lay dying, Diana probably thought to herself "if it's the last thing I ever do - I'm going to make absolutely certain that R3 is so so so sick of me"...

No, R5. Like Meghan Markle, she made absolutely certain during her lifetime.

And it only took 6 posts. 🙄

R6's favorite perfume.

This show went downhill after they recast the lead. Cancel.

Me and the husbeer still laugh at the scene, I think it was last season if not the season before, where Princess Anne visits Charles, they talk a walk through the gardens as Charles describes Diana's recent surprise dance performance at the theater. Charles goes into full cunt mode, I forget the entire dialogue but he laments the pain of having to "maintain a SCAFFOLDING of smiles" through the pain of his embarrassment. LOL, it was so cunty it was nearly camp. The line was pretty hilarious so if one of you TV remote jockeys are able to find and link us to it, you'll see what I mean.

I think the series just needs to bow out. They've come all the way through. At this point, they're just reenacting behind the scenes drama from the news and tabloids. It's no longer the highbrow series it thinks it is, but more like one of those cable shows that reenact famous crimes and Hollywood drama. There's really no need for it. We all know Charles got married 18 or so years ago, nobody wants to see it reenacted. We know the Queen is dead, nobody wants to see them reenact her old age or death etc.. Just, gracefully let it be and end it already.

Season 1: some of my favourite TV ever

Season 2: some excellent episodes, but a bit slow and self-indulgent in parts

Season 3: dull

Season 4: slightly less dull than its predecessor

Season 5: fell asleep halfway through two episodes

R10 -I totally agree. That was hilarious. The anniversary gift giving scene was also so cringy. It really drove home the point that neither understood or had basic empathy for the other .

Season 4 was my favorite.

I thought the 1st and 3rd seasons were the strongest, with some excellent episodes in seasons 2 and 4. When this series was good it was one of the all time greats.

But 5 was really lackluster and suffered from Morgan’s apparently fervent desire to not ruffle the feathers of the family and to ingratiate himself with Charles and his staff of enablers. Looks like season 6 will be more of the same. A great series goes out like weak tea. Too bad.

But we’ll see.

[quote] We’re thoughtful people and we’re sensitive people. There were very careful, long conversations about how we were going to do it.

Too bad. I was hoping we’d be inside the tunnel.

I quite enjoyed all of Seasons 1 through 4. One of the shows I always looked forward to coming back.

I could not finish Season 5. I honestly think the cast just didn't have the magnetism the first and second generation cast did. The Crown has always been a show elevated by the top tier acting talent.

The last episode I watched was the one with Mohamed Al Fayed’s life story. I just DID NOT care anymore.

It won’t be complete without addressing tampongate.

[quote] I honestly think the cast just didn't have the magnetism the first and second generation cast did.

Season 5's Philip was a particularly odd casting choice. He just didn't have the same presence as the two previous actors.

r18 The shows at1997 now so unless they do a flashback for tampongate afraid you're out of luck

Peter Morgan initially planned to stop at four seasons, but Netflix insisted he continue and ponied up enough money that he caved.

But going all the way into the late '90s and beyond was never part of the initial plan. It was supposed to be a series about historic events, not recent ones, and I don't think Morgan is terribly interested in revisiting the recent past. That fact is reflected in season five, and I think will only be emphasized more in season six.

Do you think they should carry on writing into the future? Kate the grandma and so on.

This show jumped the shark when they had about storyline about Prince Phillip and his carriage driving hobby.

How r23, he did hangout with that woman and was a cerial cheater. Have you looked at olf Liz, she was rocking a 1950s hairstyle into the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s. Who wants to fuck someone that prematurely started styling herself like a grandma? Philip was like GHWB, a man with strong, frumpy, wife that was banging other chicks on the side.

The only bit I'm honestly interested in this season is how they do the Golden Jubilee because looking back that thing blows all the later jubilees and celebrations out of the water

Will be split into two halves - but not held for a long time, the second half will become available in December.

Do get on with it.

I can’t wait to find out what happens!

I agree Philip was badly cast in 5/6. Charles Dance would have been much better suited to the role. Staunton just doesn't do it for me. They should have stopped at the Silver Jubilee in '77 or maybe the wedding in '81. All the recent stuff is... too recent.

I don't agree Morgan was trying to ingratiate himself. He so fucked with fact that he's made them all look very bad.

Season 5 was OK but just generic, mostly because of Pryce and Staunton.

There was no way they could avoid the final years of the marriage of Diana and Charles and her death, but I wish they had centered it more on the Queen's perspective.

Imelda Staunton does not succeed in winning the audience over like Claire Foy or Olivia Coleman did in their portrayals of the Queen.

Still, there are some bright spots in Season 5:

I really liked the episode about Mohamed Al-Fayed. The exchange between him and Diana (in the outs with The Boss) at the end was truly entertaining.

Jonny Lee Miller as John Major was terrific.

The Maul reports this morning that Diana will appear as a ghost in conversation with both the Queen and Prince Charles. So that promises to be something special.

@R9

(CLAP!) (CLAP!) (CLAP!) (CLAP!) (CLAP!!!) [standing ovation!)

LOL!!!

I agree they should have stopped with the doomed marriage of Chuck and Di or the Jubilee. A whole season of Diana has been endless and, if anything, it's made her seem more phony and less sympathetic than she did in real life. Charles' carriage driving just seems so "apropos of nothing" even if true. I began to wonder if it was some very British sexual fetish.

The one thing I've enjoyed in the later episodes has been Phillip's occasional quips---wondering if the Duke of Windsor had run out of tonic, for example. Charles Dance was great as Mountbatten, but he would have made a very good Phillip. Imelda Staunton is better in her usual roles as a put upon working class housewives and doesn't work as the Queen. Eileen Atkins would have been a great, late era Queen Mother---they really neutered the gin soaked old dame. Helena Bonham Carter who is probably just as crazy as Margaret played her to perfection and the later Margaret seems to be playing a character in a different show. Gillian Anderson initially looked like she was doing Streep as Thatcher but grew into the part giving her a very icy, nasty tone.

I thought Judi Dench for the Queen Mum in the last go, just as a lark. I don't know who the woman is who plays her presently but she doesn't add up to much. The actress in 3/4, Marian Bailey, was excellent.

r32 oh so they're going for off the rails terrible this season

It does feel pretty cheesy but the whole thing is cheesy now. Staunton gives a muted, listless performance and looks even more like Imelda Staunton in the Queen's clothes than Olivia Colman did in the Queen's clothes. Overall the casting is quite poor, along with the writing. The only actors who interest me are Olivia Williams as Camilla (who I kind of know) and Lesley Mainville (who I didn't.) No interest personally in watching the romance of William and Kate. Just feels so Hallmark. It's too recent. It all worked best when they stayed in the distant past. 1/2 were great. 3/4 were very good because the surrounding cast sort of mitigated Olivia Colman in the Queen's clothes (though Colman delivered some great moments... but I could never forget it was Colman.) The show works best when the actors are relatively unknown, for me anyway, or not so known they can't submerge themselves in the part.

Will there be a role for the negre... the dark=complexioned woman and her red-headed husband?

r38 we considered having Harry's eyes meet a 15 year old Meghan's during the funeral procession scene while Diana's ghost appears behind her and mouths "she's the one " at him. But test audiences ended up throwing up.

Given the hijack by the Meghan troll, perhaps it's time to close the thread.

The casting is very odd. I like Dominic West, but Prince Chuck he isn't. Staunton just isn't the Queen of anything. the second Chuck was distracting with the prosthetic-looking ears, but at least he bore some resemblance to the character. Charles Dance stole every scene he was in and they didn't even plumb the depths of what a mess Mountbatten was.

Unclench, R40.

[quote]Olivia Coleman

C-O-L-M-A-N

Like the mustard, dear.

Like I care, darling.

It will flop; ratings are already down by fifty percent since Claire Foy's two years. No one cares about Charles and that horse-faced cunt that is the fake Queen. You know both boys hate his guts for killing their mother. The Queen and the Duke were great. Fergie is also a worthless cunt, just like Meghan Markle, the Southeast Los Angeles wanna-be cunt married to that moron. You know, The Queen knew what a worthless fucking cunt Meghan was but she had a soft spot for her grandson. The Princess Royal, Kate, and Sophie carry a lot of weight where the Monarchy is concerned. Well, that's it, don't waste your trailer park time writing any comments; I never read them. Only cunts belong to this stupid, poorly managed site. That includes me.

The only redeeming thing about Season 5 was Debicki as Diana, she was excellent. Olivia Williams was great, and Lesley Manville was interesting but not at all like Margaret. The worst was Imelda as the queen, she simply doesn’t have the presence.

Without Betty there is nothing.

R44 in what universe is Markel from Southeast LA ?

You’re more dippy than sippy.

r43=G.

New trailer

This airs the day before I'm on a beach vacation. I know what I'll be watching while relaxing in my hotel room!!

Who plays mad Princess Bulimia?

R49 meh

I am a little over the whole Diana saga. I’d have been much more interested in the salaciousness of Andy and Fergie for a change. Not the grief porn that is Diana’s life and death.

R44 Thinks that calling everyone a cunt makes him butch and manly. The rest of us just think he’s a retarded idiot.

There already was too much Diana in Season 5. I can skip this.

There was enough Diana in Season 5. This looks like it will be a slog, plus more of Imelda Staunton miscast as the Queen.

r49 This genuinely just looks like the directors cut of The Queen

Also was this part meant to be funny?

[quote] Queen Liz: What do people want from me?

[quote] Prince Charles Currently 3 Whiskeys Down: *points* FOR YOU TO BE MOTHER TO THE NATION!

Where is the official discussion thread for this? First part just dropped today, surely you're discussing it somewhere already? Are you hiding it from me in particular, is that's what happening here, you malevolent cunts?

I guess this is now the official thread for it.

I feel this show has teased its final season too many times.

Petty complaint, but the Windsors all have blue eyes and that's why Olivia Colman didn't work for me as QEII. I like McNulty but don't see him as a brown-eyed Charles.

TheGuardian doesn't seem to think much of it.

[quote]The Crown season 6 review – so bad it’s basically an out-of-body experience

They could possibly make it interesting by accurately portraying Diana, which has still never been done. However, that’s still not possible even though the fervour of Diana worship has dimmed considerably.

Diana appeared to Charles and William as a ghost in the play King Charles III, which also was on PBS. But she was more a projection of what each man wanted to believe about themselves.

[quote] Ghost Diana takes the Queen’s hand and gently whispers “You’ve always shown us what it meant to be British. Maybe it’s time to learn, too”,

oh this sounds bad on a hilarious level

R66. Is that accurate? They really have given up trying.

Yes, it's accurate, the ghost of Diana interacts with the characters this season. Can't wait to start watching today.

r67 its from that guardian review at r63 it has some great howlers in it

[quote] “She doesn’t get to keep the man of her dreams,” says Diana to her ex-husband as they achieve detente. “But the friend of her dreams.” “Look what you’ve managed to achieve in the year since your divorce!” says Dodi at the beginning of The Last Night. “A global anti-landmine campaign! Raising millions for charity! And yet you’re still not happy.” “It’s the story of my life,” sighs pre-Ghost Diana.

Reviews are, uh, not good.

British reviewers swooning over Napoleon and French reviewers swooning over The Crown, you gotta love it.

Well, I will watch it regardless of the bad reviews.

Does anyone know if Stephen Daldry was still involved in this final season as an executive producer or a director? I think it was his early participation that particularly made S1 so spectacular.

I will watch it regardless because Debicki is outstanding as Diana, plus I really like looking at it just on a technical level, it's a well-filmed show. Some of the blocking and the lighting was so nice last season, I still have the screenshots on my computer somewhere.

Blocking and lighting can't make up for bad acting , inept casting and even more stupid writing.

Part of the charm of the pre-Diana Crown, especially the first two seasons, is that we were given a glimpse into a world we really had no idea about. It certainly wasn’t accurate, but it was new, fresh information. Most of us were around during the Diana years, or have seen plenty of video and material from it, so the show is just rehashing what’s already out there.

There's still 5 episodes to be released from 1997-2005 era. Which sounds horrific because its going to be Blair, Charles and Camilla's road to getting hitched and probably an entire episode of Liz and force ghost Diana trying to stop the Iraq war

THE CROWN would have been wiser to do a flashback season instead and return to the Wallis Simpson affair.

Hawwry hath spoken:

But that whiny bitch had no problem pocketing Netflix's cash, did he R78?

The kid that they cast as William looks like he has Downs.

The show runners are kissing Charlie's arse and last season is basically a heavy handed attempt rehabilitate King Tampon and his Queen Side- Piece reputations.

Did Dodi really have an American accent?

The Queen did the is part better.

Poor Imelda. She got Helen Mirren’s scraps and afterthoughts

R83 That's my confusion.....why is this even being revisited if The Queen already covered it?

I'm struggling to get through the last season

It’s a bad sign if there’s not even 100 posts yet.

I mean there's just genuinely not much to talk about. So far the season is just The Queen but worse in every way.

Well, maybe it's just me but my husband and I watched the first 2 episodes tonight and absolutely loved them.

Can't wait to watch more but we don't want to binge them. All the casting seems spectacular to me this season as I think it's always jarring in the first transitional season (the last one) each time getting used to the new actors in the same roles. Elizabeth Debicki deserves an Emmy, but I really like all of them.

I think the writing is critical of all the characters while also usually giving them some sympathetic scenes. It's very even-handed.

Binge-d the first four episodes tonight. Not good. The first three episodes are soap opera re the Diana-Dodi affair. Good production values of course, well done and Dibicki is terrific. Some new info to me, who really didn’t follow their relationship at the time or later. It has entertainment value but will bore those uninterested in their fling (which is all it was to her apparently).

But it really goes off the rails in episode 4. Yes, Diana appears to the living to bring angelic compassion to Charles and Elizabeth in some terribly written scenes. And Dodi appears to his father. In fact the actor who played the elder Fayed was excellent and touching in his expressions of grief over his son, his guilt at bullying him, and his growing fury at the royal family’s indifference to him when he has spent his whole life worshipping the British upper class.

But my main problem was with Morgan’s continuing worship and ass-kissing of King Charles. In these four episodes, Charles is depicted as finding sympathy, compassion and even pride in Diana after their divorce, and he’s shown as devastated by her death, sobbing openly and loudly at a few different moments. Which frankly, I don’t believe for a minute. He also understands immediately what her death means to people around the world, and lectures his parents about their need to learn from Diana’s example. What bullshit. The whole fourth episode falls very flat when it ought to be an emotional high.

I had a bit of a panic attack during the scenes when they were being chased through Paris.

R90, I felt unnerved watching those final hours. I think Diana’s death was always such a shock for me because I must have felt someone living a royal life would be more protected, especially after Mountbatten. To die like a commoner in a car crash seemed impossible, in my mind. It was compounded by her fame, youth, beauty, and motherhood, of course.

Btw, yes—this was trash tv. So bad at times. Ghosts? Who cares about Dodi’s ghost, anyhow?

[quote]The first three episodes are soap opera re the Diana-Dodi affair.

They spent three episodes on Diana + Dodi? Did Mohamed al-Fayed write this?

So many missed opportunities and disappointments.

I think because there was so much bad press last season, they had to go overboard with making everyone sympathetic.

I’m sorry but they were a cunt to Diana, even in death.

R89

I recently read a book called The Day Diana Died. It was written in 1997 and depicts Charles as completely broken by her death. People witnessed his grief, in particular those in the hospital when he went to claim her body. I do think he's a complicated soul and harboured a lot of regret over his relationship with her.

It's a good read. Probably the most accurate account as it was written shortly after her death.

R94, The scene of Charles loudly breaking down when he was alone with her body in the hospital room is in episode 6.4. We see doctors and nurses, his publicist, etc. outside the room hearing his expressions of grief.

I wondered if that was sourced or made up. Evidently he really WAS distressed. So I stand corrected.

I watched the first episode of the new season last night, after reading the "The Guardian's" review of the new season. The review excoriates the season as "The Diana Show," and notes the drift of The Crown overall evermore into soap opera over the past few seasons.

I liked the first episode. And for the first time, I enjoyed Imelda Staunton as the Queen, showing her to be rather business-like or even cold about well you can't be half in or half out. It conveys the Royal Family's attitude toward Diana at the time. charles comes across as a sympathetic figure....again Imelda Staunton conveying the view that the Queen related more to her corgis than to her own children. Have to say though that of the three, Claire Foy pulled off the tension between public duty and private concerns the best.

The actor who plays Dod is very good. He makes him very sympathetic. And I give the writers a tip of the hat to show that the relationship with Diana...at least I believe that's where it's headed...was more fling than substance.

Interestingly, the newspaper reviews I’ve read have been scathing yet most the online comments seem to have been reasonably positive—the consensus is it’s not as good as the initial seasons but a lot better and more focused than the previous season.

[quote]People witnessed his grief, in particular those in the hospital when he went to claim her body.

Even if he didn't care about her in a romantic way, one assumes he would have been upset on behalf of his children.

I watched parts of the earlier seasons curious about some of the actors in the roles and sometimes stayed for the telling of the story, but for me the near past is always an awkward subject both for history and for dramatization. My interest, admittedly never very deep, dropped off a few decades ago, before the Death in the Tunnel and all the rest. The time period seems destined to be little more than tabloid nostalgia, and I hate nostalgia. The acting talent, too, seems to have dropped off as the years approach the present.

I think Imelda is perfect as Elizabeth. Obviously, she can only play what she's given and inevitably she's portraying an aloof and dignified, yet totally committed monarch with a singular path to duty. Fairly or not, she's not given all of the glorious colors Claire Foy had to play. But such is life. People, even QEII, get old.

And I really don't get the criticism of this season comparing the latest installments to a soap opera. The complicated emotions that are being subtly portrayed by Diana, Dodi, Charles and the Queen, in the writing and in the performances, are stellar. I particularly love the way we can't really know for sure what was in Diana's head and heart in those early scenes with Dodi on the yacht. Diana comes off as highly complex and sympathetic.

Watched first 4 episodes. Think they handled the lead up to Diana’s death brilliantly and imaginatively. Very difficult to do since this is such well trod territory.

Everyone knows Di was a disordered borderline stalking her ex/trying to ignite his jealousy at the time, so not so sympathetic. This is the problem with portrayal of very near history

The only thing I didn’t like with this version were two things:

1) Ghost Diana. The scenes can be complete effective without speaking to a ghost.

2) the lack of hatred the Queen started to get by not reacting to the death correctly. The Queen handled this much better

Royalist hagiography.Stopped watching after they cast Imelda Stoughton who is about as much like Queen Elizabeth as the charwoman. Just as much as old dumbo ears wanker King Tampon is as suavely handsome as this guy .

No doubt if they had another season he'll be cast William.

^ Actually they would have cast with this guy..

R195, I read an eyewitness account a while abck that it did occur. Albeit this article was on the Daily Mail website

Ghost Diana is real. I speak to her hair daily.

My God, the article at R63 makes The Crown series six sound possibly gruesome. Shame on you, Peter Morgan!

My favourite comment about ghost Diana is from that Guardian article "'I'd like to see a spin-off series where Ghost Diana helps King Charles solve crimes, rather like Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased). And with the same theme tune."

The first seasons with Claire Foy were the best. Josh O'Connors Charles made the next season watchable. The show has been boring rubbish for the the last two seasons. Won't be tuning in for more.

I thought 1, 2 and 4 were great. Something about season 4 really worked, and made Colman's QEII click - well, that and Helena's Margaret, of course.

R91 I know they were private citizens, but after the first few chases, I don't understand why they wouldn't have asked for police assistance or additional security.

Do the "Diana Scream" queens get a cameo?

If not, we'll riot in the streets!

R114 royals typically don’t get police escorts. And most celebs don’t either. It’s not something a private citizen can just order in a whim. The expectation is to have your security handle it.

Even the biggest star in the world right now, Taylor Swift, doesn’t usually have police escorts unless it’s too or from one of her concerts.

Did Mohammed al fayed kill that black butler?

Season 5 of the crown I just finished, it leads me to believe the RF had a hand in Diana's death

I've seen all four episodes now. It's adequate. The Queen and Prince Philip come off as the most unpleasant but barely... they hardly have any scenes. None of the supporting cast have significant parts. It's really the Diana and Charles denouement, with the emphasis on Diana. Both actors play their parts well. If you're a monarchist, it somehow comes across as less offensive and biased than series five. The whole thing feels tired and stretched out. The dialogue is fine but the storytelling is anemic and half-hearted. Production values are high.

I like Episode 1 -3, the actors who played Diana and Dodi are brilliant. They did a great job. Not a big fan of episode 4. The film the Queen was way better to portray royal family’s reaction to Diana’s death. However, I do like Dodi’s father’s scenes in episode 4. His obsession on western royal family cost his son’s life

I wish they'd stopped with four.

Peter Morgan needs to move on. He's no longer handling this material well or evenhandedly. A strong case can me made he doesn't like his subject matter, which is fine, but he's writing about, and regrettably influencing, perception of real people in real roles with inaccurate and biased material as a result. Ethically, it's kind of a shitty thing to do. But monarchy to him seems to be what Sunset Blvd. is to Glenn Close.

R113 I agree. Coleman was a bit rocky as the Queen during season 3. I think she over played the Queen's reserve making her seem too cold. In season 4 she nailed it managing to capture the Queen's more playful nature in private.

Although I like Imelda as an actress, I just don't feel her presence in the role. She's got the Queen's mannerisms down but her performance just seems too one note.

Let’s just face facts.

This show lost its luster once Helena Bonham Carter quit being on it!

Coleman’s QE2 is the best of the entire series, even though she looked the least like the real Elizabeth. It was just all so believable. And yes, HBC was a fantastic Margret. They should have ended the series there.

Colman was OK, better than Stanton and HBC was perfect as Margaret, probably just as crazy. Despite the actresses ability to capture Diana, the wholes tory arc has just been a bit much.

Don't blame Colman for playing QEII cold and austere in S3. That was the arc they were writing for her then. There was that whole early episode about the coal mountain collapsing collapsing and killing all the school children and how she came to realize she had to step up and be the emotional support for the entire UK.

Kelly Osbourne felt that same way R127 when she uttered the phrase “I can’t breathe”

[quote]Kelly Osbourne felt that same way [R127] when she uttered the phrase “I can’t breathe”

Oh, dear.

I continue to be in awe of this season. Just finished E4 and found the ghost device poignant and also chilling. Debicki and Khalid Abdalla (Dodi) are both simply astounding.

I just watched the first 3 eps of Season 6. I don’t know what you bitches are moaning about - it remains one of the best written, acted, and produced series across a multitude of platforms. Completely engaging. Can’t wait to watch more.

I just watched the first new episode.

Am I crazy or is the actress playing Diana SUPER tall? Like Maria Sharapova tall.

R132 Debicki is 6ft3. Diana was 5ft10.

William going missing for 14 hours was beyond ludicrous.

Do not like Imelda Staunton as The Queen. But putting that aside I just finished watching Part One and it was very hard to watch. Very hard. And it was well done. I have to say that the actor they found to play Dodi was hot. He is a beauty.

I've gotten used to Dominic West as Prince Charles. He does well. IMO the perfect Charles was Josh O'Connor, just as IMO the perfect Prince Phillip was Matt Smith and I will always love Claire Foy best as The Queen.

I agree R130! I also think the actor chosen to play Dodi's father was excellent.

Thanks R133.

Wow. She is super tall (and a wonderful actress).

But so was Diana! I had no idea.

I think that's why she has that affectation of lowering her head all the time, to make her look less tall. Yes Diana did it, but I can't believe that she did it in private. I assume Diana did it to be less imposing in heels- she would be at least 6'.

Wanna buy some props and costumes?

Some of the best earlier episodes of “The Crown” took a minor event or a particular person who becomes part of the royal family’s orbit for a time to illuminate what was happening with indivudual members of the family. It was a great, novelistic way of looking at the peculiar institution of royalty.

But this was gone in season 5 and for the 4 episodes of season 6 so far. That’s why it seems like soap opera. The retelling of events we already know about is numbing. Yes, the ins and outs of the Diana-and-Dodi show are detailed and depicted with sympathy for both of them, but so what? The revealed ending of the affair — which ironically came just before their lives ended — was that Dodi was just a palate-cleanser for Diana, as well as a job of social climbing and Daddy worship on Dodi’s part. It was sad and was a waste of time for both.

But was it worth three episodes? I don’t think so. And was the aftermath of her death handled as well as it was here as it was in “The Queen”? No, it was not. So we’re left with an empty feeling over time wasted watching it.

I have re-watched several episodes from the first four seaosns more than once. I will never watch seasons 5 or 6 again.

I don’t understand all the hate for the Diana/Dodi ghost sequences. I thought they were quite impactful—especially the Charles/Diana scene.

"With her death a light has really gone out of our lives. As you can see by how dark it is in this room"

[quote]The revealed ending of the affair — which ironically came just before their lives ended — was that Dodi was just a palate-cleanser for Diana, as well as a job of social climbing and Daddy worship on Dodi’s part. It was sad and was a waste of time for both.

But that's the trap... and the damage done by telling stories about the living and the recently departed. We don't know the affair ended as portrayed but so many people think it's now fact.

You know, Diana dies and up there at Balmoral is a 71-year old woman who has lived her whole life within a framework of precedent and deference and worked in it at the top job for fifty. She fucked it up when Diana died, but did she fuck it up purposely with coldness and indifference or did she just fuck it up out of custom and familiarity, in a swift moving environment, until she didn't fuck it up any further? The death of Diana was a mistaken sequence because Morgan had already told the story and his handling of the royal family's side of it was plainly weak and weary. They should haver stopped at either the Silver Jubilee in 1977 or the marriage of Charles and Diana in 1981. Because we all knew what was coming.

Nice comparison, R143.

The real thing was shot 10x better: Good lighting, Elizabeth was brought extremely close to the camera, which is very unusual but made her address all the more intimate.

The real Queen's diction was flawless. Never clipped, and not as rushed as Staunton's version.

Staunton's styling is so reminiscent of her styling as Dolores Umbridge that I am having a hard time sorting the two, mentally. I feel sorry who not only has to portray the Queen, but also compete with Mirren's fabulous performance (and better script).

Part One is okay, but it is basically the Diana show. The Crown is supposed to be about the monarch and their role as the Crown. Other seasons have had side stories, but the main focus was always on the Queen. In Part One, the impact of Diana on the Crown is addressed in Ep. 4, but the Queen otherwise has no storylines. I would have liked to have seen more storylines other than Diana.

I also had to laugh at the casting of the Dodi with an attractive (enough) actor. I lived through that era. Part of the fascination of Diana's relationship with Dodi was not just his ethnicity and religion, but also his perceived lack of attractiveness. "Why is Diana with him?" was the overall vibe. Charles was no looker, but Dodi was perceived as a step down even with his father's money.

Hmmm, I did live through that time r146, and thought Dodi was nice looking enough (I mean, look at Charles). It was his family and his heritage that were a huge deal back then. Then again, Crown Charles is much better looking than the original Charles.

R146 is reaching. Here’s a picture of Dodi (left) next to the actor. I could barely tell them apart. The show couldn’t have possibly found an actor who resembles him more. They really nailed that one.

R148

They didn’t get the trashiness of Dodi’s fiancé. She was one of a long line of tramps who tearfully told the press how they were done wrong by a man, with Gloria Allred sitting next to the tramp, rubbing her back.

If I remember correctly such a press conference was held a couple of days before the accident. Andy Cohen should find the fiancé’ and put her on a Housewives show.

R142, the Diana ghost scenes were conceits that worked in the scene on the plane with Charles, but it did not work in the scene with the Queen. In the latter, the dialogue was beyond cheesy..."You've always showed how to British"...or some such maudlin platitude say the specter to the Queen.

R143 Diana's smile lit up a room!

Couldn't disagree with you more, r151. I thought that scene with ghost Diana and the Queen was one of the most powerfully emotional scenes in the entire mini-series.

And for those complaining about the first 3 episodes being the Diana show? Well....were you around in the 1980s/90s? It was the Diana show. The Queen had no particularly interesting story lines that didn't relate directly to Diana.

They need to cover the deaths of Margaret and the Queen Mother: Edward’s marriage; 9/11, the era of William and Harry in college…did they cover the handover of Hong Kong last season, or am I confusing it with the decommissioning of Britannia?

I don't know how much they need to do with the Queen Mother. For as much time as t hey gave the character in Seasons 1&2, beginning in Season 3, she was almost erased. Now Margaret and the Queen's relationship was explored in all four seasons, so I am hoping that as her health fails they will show some of the relationship. I Read somewhere that The Queen was very loving and kind to Margaret's kids. The other thing I was thinking about is that Charles' boys didn't grow up in a vacuum. They had relationships with their cousins and spent time with them. IMO a failing of the series is that, as time passed, Anne and Margaret had children growing up in their households and we never see anything about it. They should at least be seen running through a room or sitting at a table or hugging their parents saying good night. WTF ever.

R153, it was the other way around for me. I thought it was more effective with Charles on the plane.

All the scenes with the Queen and Philip reacting to her death at Balmoral was just a rehash of the same scenes in 2006's "The Queen." And when Diana came to sit down with the Queen, grabbing hold of her hand was too melodramatic.

R153 Hong Kong was returned to China on 1 July 1997, 2 months before Diana's death. It didn't even get as much as a mention.

I always forget that IS the Queen Mother r155. Every time I see her, I think Is that somebody's old nanny? Why is she at this family gathering?

I'm sure there will be at least an entire episode on Margaret's later days and death. So far Lesley Manville has gotten prime title billing in S6 episodes in which she hasn't even appeared. I'm sure the Queen Mother's death will be dealt with though there's really not much drama when you go at 102.

And as for Anne's and Edward's marriages and children, what could be more boring? Wills and Harry in college? I hope there's only cursory nods to all that.

9/11? Uh, ok.....

I am curious about Andrew and Fergie and if they'll go there.

[QUOTE]did they cover the handover of Hong Kong last season, or am I confusing it with the decommissioning of Britannia?

R154 and R157, the handover of Hong Kong and the Britannia were covered in the last season’s finale. Charles sailed to Hong Kong on the Britannia and presided over the ceremony, if I’m not mistaken.

R157, they did the Honkers handover in the last series. Charles and Tony Blair had a cuddle on Britannia.

The Palace played The Star Spangled Banner a couple of days after 9/11, a break with tradition . She also was seen with teary eyes at a 9/11 ceremony, which in light of people’s view of the family as cold after Diana’s death (not to mention her coldness when she went to Aberfan in the 60s), would show the Queen as having changed or softened. Additionally, the show did an episode with Claire Foy that spent an extended period of time showing her reaction to the Kennedy Assassination.

It would be odd if they didn’t at least acknowledge it, and its connection to the 2005 London bombings, which happened shortly after Charles and Camilla’s wedding.

Also they were touting Sophie as being like Diana-she even had the same hairstyle-and there was the stupid scandal with the phony Arabian sheik that caused Sophie to quit her PR firm.

Who gives da rats bootee about thems old bougee honky beotches?

[quote]The review excoriates the season as "The Diana Show," and notes the drift of The Crown overall evermore into soap opera over the past few seasons.

I agree R153. During that time, it was "The Diana Show"

I just finished watching all the episodes. Yes, it's a soap opera but wasn't it a soap opera in reality? It's engaging but I don't think it captured the worldwide popularity that Diana had by that time nor the grief of the sovereignty that basically forced Betty into finally acknowledging Diana and the power that she held. I did like how they made Charles sympathetic. He may not have loved her but she was the mother of his children and I guess that he did have a guilty conscience about what he did to such a young and naive girl.

The thing that amused me about the Diana ghost scenes was that I found it highly doubtful Diana had achieved any kind of real self-awareness (even in death!) about herself let alone others in her orbit. The touchy-feely stuff was kind of silly.

I think she was an unstable neurotic mess to the very end, still pining for some fairy tale Harlequin novel romance to heal her both real and imagined pain. Maybe she latched on to Dodi to make that love interest of hers, Dr. Kahn jealous? She also acted like a greedy whore by accepting so many expensive gifts from Dodi, and even foisted him on her sons which I read made William unhappy.

Dodi seemed tacky as fuck, too, maybe he was even a coke head? The model may have been a gold digger, but damn, publicly humiliating her was just wrong. Diana didn’t care either.

One thing: in some scenes she was shown wearing a seatbelt, it’s shown very predominantly in a couple shots. Why didn’t she wear one on the fateful ride? In the show, I thought they’d offer some kind of insight for that, obviously speculative.

What an even handed view, R166.

I really enjoyed the first 3 episodes. I agree that she really wasn't like the portayal in the show, but I thought they were well done. The 4th episode really went downhill fast, with Dream Di (and Dream Dodi!) showing up all over the place. I didn't buy Charles as the voice of reason either. Oh, well. Not sure if I'll even bother watching the rest.

As opposed to what, R167? The show goes quite easy on Diana. It doesn't really delve into all the married men she fucked, the way she terrorized some of their wives, that she called the paps when they were in the Mediterranean. Hanging out with Fayed was a way to poke at her former in laws. And, frankly, the show goes easy on the Royals. They were probably sad for the boys, but otherwise relieved when Diana died. She was a nightmare behind the scenes and headache they would no longer have to deal with. Had she lived, Diana would have continued to go off the rails into eventual derision.

R169, I may agree with some of what you're saying, but I do believe that at some point Diana would have got passed the histrionics and the exhibitionism. I think she would have recognized that as her boys got older and the realities of Charles becoming King etc. settled in, She would have wanted to present a calmer image. Of course I could be wrong, but I think at some point William and Harry would have exerted pressure on her both directly and indirectly. And Charles was going to marry Camilla. So there's that. Diana would've had the cautionary example of Fergie, someone she did not want to be.In the years immediately following their separation and divorce Diana acted out in all kinds of ways IMO because she was very angry at Charles and the family, and she still wanted to be a Princess, and in her own mind, still part of the RF thru her kids. Her public appearances sort of reflected that. Homelessness, AIDS and Land mines were her way of showing them up but also consistent with her idea of serving.

The Dodi actor was raised in Scotland, but he did a decent American accent. I'd love to hear his natural accent.

Had she lived, I'm not sure Charles and Camilla would have wed. And if they did, I think it would have one more harm than good to the monarchy.

Can't blame Diana for craving some big Middle Eastern cock.

For any royal jewelry fans in the thread, Catherine is wearing the Strathmore Rose Tiara tonight. It has not been seen in decades.

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Kate was showing some leg today. ^

Wow! Quite the leggy display.

r172 Honestly I think it would probably have been easier for Charles to remarry if she had lived. The press were in the process of eating her alive when she died. Diana had she lived to 2005 now her mid 40s either married to an Al Fayed or after string of love affairs and scandals blasted across the front page is much less of a threat that a young beautiful eternally popular martyr that can be thrown at Charles and Camilla's feet.

I saw the pictures today of the state visit and I have to say, Camilla looked out of sorts all day. Either she was pissed off at Charles or she was exhausted or not feeling well. And that red velvet formal was too much. As for Kate and her superhero costume, this is one occasion where the outfit wore her. Flying saucer hat and red cape. Ugh. But yes, lots of leg. William looked bored to death.

As for that actor who played Dodi?I am in love. What a hottie. He did an excellent job too. His dodi was a sweetheart. Lovely guy.

[quote] Camilla looked out of sorts all day. Either she was pissed off at Charles or she was exhausted or not feeling well.

Remember that the new (and last) season of "The Crown" is running just when she thought she had overcome the label of "homewrecking whore". Now, people will be reminded that it is exactly what she is. What will the grandchildren think?

[quote] What will the grandchildren think?

Well Harry's have probably had a Camilla voodoo doll since birth, and Williams will be told to shut up and play nice. If they're actually even watching this season. I imagine a dramatization of your other grandmother dying isn't high on the Christmas viewing list.

No, Camilla is getting a redemption edit in this. And she's played by someone who is actually pretty. Totally bogus. The witch!

All I want to say is Kalid Abdalla did a masterful job of giving his character life. We knew nothing much at all about Dodi. Kalid humanized him and made him very likeable.

The elder Fayed was also brilliantly written and portrayed. Not a pleasant character nor situation, yet very much brought to life here.

[QUOTE] No, Camilla is getting a redemption edit in this. And she's played by someone who is actually pretty. Totally bogus. The witch!

Everyone is getting a redemption edit. You’d think the Royal Family produced this series. I’m shocked that they apparently don’t like it when it makes them all look so good.

I am sorry but I just do not like Imelda Staunton with her beady little eyes and t hat pinched face. They could have got a mannequin. Probably would have done better. The Crown makes Phillip the villain in so far as the way the RF would participate in mourning Diana. I thought the scene where both parents chastised Charles was cruel. He was trying to tell them to pay attention to what was happening outside the palace walls and all they wanted to talk about was how he was the one who insisted on divorce and put everyone in this position now. Charles even had to justify the use of one of the Queen's planes. "Do you want the future King of England's mother to come home in a Harrod's van?" I loved that line.

I will add that IMO Dominic West is doing a very good job as the middle aged Charles. Of course Elizabeth Debicki is exquisite and so is Kalid Abdalla two beautiful people.

I do like Dominic West as Charles; he does remind me of Charles during this period. Josh O’Connor did a better job overall, however.

Imelda Staunton plays Elizabeth as utterly impassive; Colman and Foy (who admittedly had better material) were able to show glimpses of Elizabeth’s feelings behind the stony facade.

They should have found a way to show Elizabeth’s warm relationship with Nelson Mandela. Considering there was an entire episode in season 4 showcasing the Queen’s fight with Thatcher over Apartheid, this seems to be a miss.

Who would play Nelson Mandela?

This first part made the queen seem like she was tired of queening.. Ribbon cuttings, etc. Maybe I'm mixing up Season 5 as I think about it. My personal favorite was Claire Foy. I loved her Elizabeth. And Matt Smith will always be the best Phillip. In Season 3 & 4 I loved Princess Anne and Princess Margaret. I don't see why they couldn't have allowed Helena Bonham Carter to continue in that role.

Is it too late for a Mandela episode? Maybe it's coming up.

[quote]Who would play Nelson Mandela?

Viola Davis, of course.

Or Julia Roberts.

Just to be clear: a teaser is a hint of the trailer of what will be the full series?

Much too late, R192

R161 thank you I had forgotten all about that. Remarkable how I remember so much of the Season 1-4, and almost nothing of the fifth.

[quote]Do you want the future King of England's mother to come home in a Harrod's van?" I loved that line.

I agree! It got right to the point and hit the bull's eye perfectly!

Saw two episodes and I'm struggling to find the will to watch the rest. The actor who plays the young William is very good, but his flames can be seen from space. He is seen running homosexually not even five minutes into the season premiere, it's all so very adorable.

He doesn't look like William he looks like the love child of the Grinch and Lurch.

Wow R199, that was mean. Funny and spot on, too.

Kampa reminds me of those white trash Barbie knockoffs you’d see in the dead beat dad Christmas gift section in a Walgreens.

Thankfully, the last six episodes starting December 14th, will have a different William. I did love the actor who played little Harry. He seemed young for 12. But he was adorable.

Billy Porter *IS* Nelson Mandela!

I'm going to watch The Kite Runner. I read the book a very long time ago, and Kalid Abdalla (Dodi) stars in it. I didn't realize he is British born of Egyptian parents, and he graduated from Cambridge. His Wiki is interesting.

Ok,, I have now finished the 4 episodes and am a little shocked by the viciousness of some reviews. Debicki is marvelous. The last Diana days were very welll done as well. Sure, the ghost parts in episode 4 were cringe but not enough to justify the vitriol.

I think the accident, heard, not seen, ws well done.

Staunton and Pryce are weak links for many reasons. It is curious that Stauton somehow is the actress more physically like the queen and the one least engaging. She is anything but royal. Someone up thread mentioned her plot is less less engaging now but I don’t think that is it. She lacks the charisma.

Dominic west looks anything like Charles but i love his debauched way.

[quote] I have now finished the 4 episodes and am a little shocked by the viciousness of some reviews.

Pay them no mind, R205. They're just a bunch of frustrated and jealous Queens who couldn't make even a dent in the creative areas of which they believed they're gifted, and thus feel they have unfettered license to critique.

I'm not sure the criticism of Imelda is really fair. In the 1990s and even up until her final decade when we knew (and she knew) she'd be exiting for good, QEII had really receded into a rather guarded, aloof and rather crotchety grandmotherly type.

The endearing and iconic images of her in her brightly colored matching hats and coats were yet to come. Imelda seems spot-on for the late 1990s to me.

[quote]Staunton and Pryce are weak links for many reasons.

They seem to be set up as caricatures. Two cold stubborn figures with no feelings and no attempt to to explain why. Phillip in particular seems to have nothing but condescension for the queen. They are thoroughly unlikable.

[quote]rather crotchety grandmotherly type.

Well that's bullshit.

[quote]QEII had really receded into a rather guarded, aloof and rather crotchety grandmotherly type.

I'd argue the opposite. She relaxed her public image... engaging in photo-bombing and the famous James Bond sky diving video. She actually became fun.

[quote] She relaxed her public image... engaging in photo-bombing and the famous James Bond sky diving video. She actually became fun.

It's just nothing without my Betty. She is the star.

She IS the Queen.

King Chuckles must not be doing too well because there is very little press about him except that he is a pussy and couldn't evict Andrew from a castle he (The Crown) owns. And then, there's the homewrecking whore that everyone must contend with. But I have to give credit where credit is due... What a "come-up" she pulled off!

Anyway, there have just been numerous documentaries about Betty. I've watched a few of them (with my tissue nearby) and have become even more taken by her majesty and grace. Regarding the James Bond skydiving video, one doc. interviewed the other Royals who were just as awed by it as everyone else. That was a well-kept secret. They didn't even know anything about.

That's my Betty! Keep 'em guessing and wanting more!

r210, that was NOT in the 1990s when these last episodes were set. Nor even the 2000s. All of that "relaxing" came about in the 2010s.

I just don't like Imelda Staunton. Jonathan Pryce is OK. I don't mind him. I don't remember if it was Season 5 or the most recent 4 episodes, but I did appreciate how the Queen and her Prince Phillip's relationship had deteriorated. Her lack of curiosity, and using her dogs as both a shield and a refuge. I do believe the image of Phillip was somewhat cleaned up. I don't see him as someone who exhibited a huge amount of intellectual curiosity. I do think he was much more so than the Queen. I guess if you talks about horses with her she'd talk for hours.

The Queen actually changed after her mother and sister died in 2002, the year of her Golden Jubilee. As royal commentators mentioned in the days of news coverage after her death, she approached her public engagements with a renewed vigour. This was also the time when Angela Kelly persuaded the Queen to wear block colours.

The Queen was obviously very close to both her mother and sister, they spoke on the phone every single day, but she definitely appeared more relaxed and a little less stiff and formal after they passed. I imagine she then started spending more time with her grandchildren and other family members, plus of course she was also very close two a few members of her personal staff, Angela Kelly, Tall Paul and a couple of others. Maybe this helped to kind of soften her a little.

New one's out for the back six...

That makes the last 4 look good.

I meant 6

I think they did do the Queen as dead in some form... that shot of Staunton standing all in white in what is meant to be St. George's Chapel shows a coffin with the Imperial State Crown, the sceptre, the orb - all the regalia of the monarch. The flowers look a lot like the pinks and reds that were on it the last day too. And a young Elizabeth salutes an old Elizabeth. Don't quite know what to make of that. Morgan does seem to like his ghosts.

They cast a pretty Camilla and an ugly Harry. Says it all...

Princess Margaret, The Queen Mother and Lord Porchester (her friend who ran her horse business) all died in the span of six months in 2001/02 (Porchie died of a heart attack on September 11). Next to Phillip these were the three closest people to Elizabeth. She was probably thinking a lot about the past at the time.

The dye job on the older Prince William... 💀

The older William looks like a young Beau Bridges.