The Crown renewed for additional sixth season, Netflix confirms

Netflix previously declared that the hit royal drama would only run for five seasons in total

The Crown will return for an additional sixth season, one more than previously announced, Netflix has confirmed.

Netflix declared in January that the hit royal drama would end with its fifth season, which will star Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth.

The platform has now confirmed that Staunton will appear in a sixth season of the show, which will serve as the final bow for the series.

In a statement, series creator Peter Morgan said: “As we started to discuss the storylines for series five, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons.”

Morgan had always envisioned The Crown running for six seasons, but had announced in January that it would end with season five after it “became clear… that this is the perfect time and place to stop”.

Season four of The Crown, which stars Olivia Colman and Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, finished filming right before coronavirus shut down the entertainment industry.

The season, which marks Colman and Bonham Carter’s last appearances on the show, is expected to debut later this year.

It was announced last week (2 July) that Phantom Thread star Lesley Manville will succeed Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret in the show’s final two seasons.

The Crown sees its main cast replaced by new actors every two seasons in accordance with leaps in time. Its first two seasons featured Claire Foy and Vanessa Kirby as Elizabeth and Margaret, respectively.