Phoebe Hobson
Peter Morgan, creator and director of The Crown, has heard our prayers and just one year after the release of season five, he has blessed us with a sixth season. This season will be the beloved show’s finale.
This time, the season will be split into two parts. The first came to our screens in November and the second comes just a month after on 14 December. Thinking back to the heart-wrenching end of the last part, the second really couldn’t come quick enough.
AT FIRST GLANCE
The new series begins from a more public perspective. A Parisian dog walker takes a late-night stroll, before finding himself in the midst of one of the most well-remembered tragedies in recent memory: the death of Princess Diana. Despite the show opening with Diana’s final moments, it poignantly recalls the timeline leading up to this moment – arguably the event that all but affirmed Diana’s saint-like status in modern media.
The portrayal of the people’s princess by Elizabeth Debicki produces a flood of happiness. We see her beauty and her kindness portrayed so vividly on screen. The insight we get into the family dynamics between Diana, William, and Harry is especially touching in this season. We gain a real sense of the normality and wholesomeness that marked their private moments together.
“If seasons 4 and 5 detailed the disorientated and distant connection Charles has with his mother, then season 6 only amplifies it.”
We watch the three enjoy football and swim and sing together, teasing one another as any normal family unit would. It certainly comes as a refreshing representation of the royal family, whom the public is so often used to seeing in such formal contexts.
DRAMA
Season six’s drama is consistent with that of previous seasons, allowing the audience to follow the Queen’s harrowing royal duties. The action unfolds intensely within the first few episodes. Queen Elizabeth’s relationship with her son, Prince Charles, is compared to Diana’s with the boys. If seasons four and five detail the disorientated and distant connection Charles has with his mother, then season six only amplifies it. The queen shows her stubborn side, particularly when it comes to accepting Camilla as part of the family.
It is certainly these long-held traditional values and beliefs that cause the most dispute and drama in season six of The Crown. In particular, it demonstrates the discombobulating shift to a more modern society that certain members of the royal family struggle with. Throughout the first part, Charles and Camilla are light-heartedly romanticised. Princess Margaret describes them to be ‘soulmates’. Despite the previous seasons neglecting Charles and Camilla, just as the nation did, season six embraces them as a couple in a new light.
DIANA IN THE SPOTLIGHT
As an audience member, you cannot help but be in complete awe of Diana and her infectious and admirable character. As she pours everything into her relationship with her sons, season six unpacks Diana’s character to an extent not seen previously. Showing her to be a compassionate woman with a heart of gold and an unwavering drive to help and look after others, it gives us real insight into why the public fell in love with her.
But more importantly, we see why Dodi Fayed fell in love with her. We become immersed in Diana’s summer romance with the wealthy Egyptian producer. Despite Fayed’s father’s power-hungry intentions (the main reason he set the two up) the couple build a deep and beautiful companionship. Their budding romance, however, tears Fayed’s relationship with his fiancé apart, putting Diana in Camilla’s shoes.
“This season is the dream of any die-hard Diana fan, where we finally get to witness Diana being unapologetically herself.”
This season is certainly the dream of any die-hard Diana fan. We finally get to witness her being unapologetically herself. For the most part, there’s a different aura about this season, a positive and hopeful one for Diana. Before, happiness had been just within her grasp, repeatedly snatched away from her, but this season focuses on the possibility of her happy ending.
Elizabeth Debicki really did that. pic.twitter.com/VkSpRiwh99
— Netflix (@netflix) November 18, 2023
So if your box of tissues is full and your teabags are stocked up, I urge you to turn on your telly, throw on your blanket, and get ready to feel every single one of Diana’s emotions. Believe me, I would advise wearing waterproof mascara, because even the happy tears will be flowing. After being left in the dark from the first part of this sixth season, you will be left counting down the days till the second part.
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Featured image courtesy of Markus Spiske via Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image licence found here.
Phoebe Hobson
A film graduate and trainee journalist studying a masters at Leeds Beckett University, A girl who loves the power and beauty in words. One who you’ll probably find with her head in a book or typing away, listening to music or podcasts and with a mocha in hand.
A great review. Certainly makes me want to watch the series