SPLITTING HEIR
New series of The Crown focuses on tough times for royals
ARRIVING to huge fanfare, and with great poignancy after the death of the Queen, this fifth season picks up in the early 1990s.
It was a decade of great turmoil, including Queen Elizabeth’s famous ‘annus horribilis’, and we can expect a focus on Charles and Diana’s spiral into separation and divorce.
There’s a new cast (again), with Imelda Staunton taking the baton from Olivia Colman in the lead role, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Dominic West as Prince Charles, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret and Elizabeth Debicki as Diana.
Filling out the top cast, watch out also for Jonny Lee Miller as Prime Minister John Major and Claudia Harrison as Princess Anne.
Debicki’s portrayal of the Princess is so spot on, with nailed-on voice and head tilt, it’s in danger of feeling like a caricature, but we are used to seeing the royals re-enacted by now.
The action is set against a backdrop of an increasing antimonarchy sentiment as the Queen begins to face questions about whether she should step aside for Charles.
Meanwhile, Charles and Diana’s marriage is growing more tense by the day, despite a yacht trip being pitched as a ‘second honeymoon’.
They aren’t the only royals in trouble – other marriages break down, there’s a fire at Windsor Castle and we know everything will build to public recriminations and that tell-all interview.
Much of this series has already sparked backlash with this being perhaps the most controversial run yet, but for elegant drama, fans will still be wowed.