After spending the past five seasons with an intense look into the life of the late Queen Elizabeth II and her decades-long reign as monarch, The Crown is stepping into more modern times and chronicling the love stories of some of the youngest royals. On Thursday, Netflix released first-look images from The Crown Season 6 showing Prince William and Kate Middleton’s budding romance.
The next generation of the monarch – William is now first in line to the throne after his father, King Charles III, became king following Elizabeth’s death in September – are to be portrayed by Ed McVey, who takes over the role of William from Senan West, and Meg Bellamy. The two actors will portray William and Kate as the series chronicles the start of their romance as William begins university at St. Andrew’s, where he first met Kate. After meeting for the first time on campus, their relationship reportedly turned romantic in 2002, two years before they took their relationship public in 2004. The couple would go on to marry in April 2011 and later welcome three children – Prince William, 9, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 5 – though the Netflix series is not set to venture into that time period.
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The most recent season of the hit Netflix drama debuted in November and took place in the ’90s. Season 6, the show’s final season, will document the later part of the ’90s and lead into the early years of the 21st Century. The season will cover some of the biggest moments during that time period, including Princess Diana’s death. It will also cover William and Kate’s relationship, with an official description reading, “As The Crown enters a new decade, Prince William starts at University in St Andrew’s, determined to lead as normal a life as possible while he still can. Also beginning life as a university student, is Kate Middleton from Berkshire. As the pair meet for the first time on campus, a new romance and a new future for The Crown begins.”
Season 6 will see Imelda Staunton return as Queen Elizabeth II, while Jonathan Pryce will again play Prince Philip. Dominic West plays Prince Charles, and Elizabeth Debicki plays Princess Diana. Olivia Williams is returning as Camilla Parker Bowles, with Lesley Manville portraying Princess Margaret again. It’s likely that the upcoming season will involve Margaret’s death, as the Queen’s sister passed away in February 2002 at 71.
Set to run 10 episodes, per Deadline, The Crown Season 6 is created and written by Peter Morgan and executive produced by Morgan, Suzanne Mackie, Andy Harries, Stephen Daldry, Matthew Byam Shaw, and Robert Fox. Netflix has not yet set a premiere date for the season.
