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Mixed emotions as 'The Crown' celebrates series finale

By AAP Newswire

Dec 6, 2023

Britain The Crown Finale Red Carpet — Queen Elizabeth II is at the heart of The Crown's sixth and final season, its makers say. -AP

The cast and the makers of the sixth and final season of Netflix's royal drama The Crown have come together in London to bid farewell to the series.

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The Emmy-winning show, created by Peter Morgan and launched in 2016, tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II's reign against the backdrop of various royal dramas.

"Mixed emotions. On the one hand it's been a lot of work, so I'm tired. But on the other hand, it's been a family that I've lived with now and worked with for 10 years," Morgan said on Tuesday as he walked the red carpet at London's Royal Festival Hall.

"I've loved how the show has gone down around the world. So as an artist, you miss that."

New cast, same crown in Season 3. — The Crown (@TheCrownNetflix) pic.twitter.com/2bBJ99CV9b December 2, 2023

The second part of the final season starts streaming on December 14. Its first four episodes, focusing on Princess Diana's final days in 1997, were released in November and Part Two is made up of six episodes. Imelda Staunton and Dominic West reprise their roles as Elizabeth and Charles, with Ed McVey and Meg Bellamy taking on the roles of William and Kate.

The Queen, who died in September last year while the season was being filmed, is at the heart of the final episodes, the show's makers said.

"Imelda and I were filming together on the day she passed, so very difficult. It affected us in the same way that it did the whole of the country," said Lesley Manville, who plays Princess Margaret.

"We had to incorporate into the show something that we never wanted to incorporate, which is at some level we had to address the issue of the Queen passing. The audience will be the judge of that, but I hope we've done her memory justice," said Morgan.

Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown. (AP PHOTO)

Part Two picks up some months after Princess Diana's death, with the royal family reeling from the tragedy. In happier scenes, it shows William starting university and meeting his future wife, Kate, and Charles marrying Camilla.

"You see a lot of emphasis on William and Harry and the younger generation coming up so that the crown is seen as the next people who are going to wear it coming up. And that should be really interesting," said West.

"Be prepared to cry. Bring the tissues," added Olivia Wiliams, who plays Camilla.

By AAP Newswire

Australian Associated Press