The first four episodes of the royal drama, which will be released on November 16, will focus on the blossoming relationship between Diana, former Princess of Wales and Dodi Fayed, culminating in the “devastating consequences” of their deaths in a Paris car crash.
The second chapter, comprising six episodes, will be released on December 14 and depict the royal family coming to terms with their loss and the wider public fallout. It will see the introduction of an older Prince William, played by Ed McVey, as he tries to integrate back into life at Eton in the wake of his mother’s death.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth II will be in a reflective mood as she contemplates the future of the monarchy ahead of her 2002 Golden Jubilee.
The release of the second instalment in mid-December could see The Crown pitted against rival channels’ Christmas offerings in the battle for viewers.
The decision to split the series for the first time is understood to reflect the company’s increasingly common scheduling strategy.
The first four episodes of the royal drama will focus on the blossoming relationship between Diana Spencer and Dodi Fayed. Photo / Netflix
The split-season model, which has recently been used for high-profile shows such as Stranger Things and Ozark, allows Netflix to generate sustained coverage and therefore maximise viewing figures.
Fans who subscribe to Netflix by the month will be able to watch both parts under a single subscription.
The final episodes will strike a more positive note as they look to a happier future, with “the beginnings of a new royal fairytale in William and Kate” while studying at the University of St Andrews in Scotland and the 2005 marriage of then-Prince Charles and Camilla.
The wedding celebration will see the award-winning show, which launched in 2016, end on “a very big high”, sources have previously told the Telegraph.
A 51-second trailer released on Monday is narrated by the various actresses who played the Queen at various stages of her life.
In the sixth and final season of the Netflix hit, the love story between Prince William and Kate Middleton, who met in college in 2001, will be explored. Photo / Netflix
The final series will chronicle events from 1997 until 2005, a period not unfamiliar to writer Peter Morgan, who covered much of it in his Oscar-winning 2006 film The Queen.
The team behind The Crown, which has faced criticism over historical accuracy, has insisted that the death of the Princess, played by Elizabeth Debicki, will be recreated “delicately” and with sensitivity.
Executive producer Suzanne Mackie told the Edinburgh TV Festival in August: “The show might be big and noisy, but we’re not.
“We’re thoughtful people and we’re sensitive people.”
Annus Horribilis: Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II in season five of The Crown. Photo /Netflix
“I think that the passing of Her Majesty undoubtedly impacted on us all, and [Morgan] in particular,” he said. “It didn’t change [the show] fundamentally, but it did change in a sense, and when you see it, I think you’ll know what I mean.”
Mackie said Morgan had told her the show was a “love letter to the Queen”.
Two sets of actors have been cast in the roles of William and Harry.
The Crown's rendering of Prince William, who is now next in line to the throne after his father, King Charles, dressed in a suit and tie, seated in what looks to be a formal room in the palace. Photo / Netflix
Rufus Kampa will play a young Prince William before McVey takes over for part two alongside Meg Bellamy as Kate Middleton. Fflyn Edwards has been cast as the younger version of Prince Harry in part one, while Luther Ford will play the older character in part two.
The Prince admitted on a US chat show earlier this year that he watches The Crown and “fact-checks” it, including the “older stuff and more recent stuff”. Interviewed on The Late Show by Stephen Colbert in January, he compared The Crown to his memoir, Spare, saying it is “important history has it right”.
It came after Netflix added a disclaimer to the description of the trailer for series five, which was released last November. The streaming service faced calls to add a statement at the start of each episode confirming that the show was a “fictionalised drama”.
