Netflix has released a sneak peak at Imelda Staunton’s latest portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown and the actress looks just like her subject.
The sixth and final season of the award-winning royal family drama will drop its first four episodes on November 16, before the final six land in Part 2 on December 14.
Netflix has released a trailer to get fans excited and the focus is squarely on the queen, currently played by Staunton.
The teaser also, however, includes clips of Claire Foy and Olivia Colman who played the queen in past seasons.
Fans are treated to a fleeting glance at Foy on a TV screen, while Colman appears in a framed picture and both can be heard talking.
However, it is not until around half way through the trailer that Staunton’s face becomes visible in profile giving viewers a chance to see how her likeness compares to her predecessors’. And Staunton certainly bears a remarkable resemblance to the late queen.
Foy’s queen says: “The Crown is a symbol of permanence. It’s something you are, not what you do.”
“Some portion of our natural selves is always lost,” Colman’s queen adds. “We have all made sacrifices.”
“It is not a choice, it is a duty,” Staunton’s queen continues. “But what about the life I put aside, the woman I put aside?”
Seasons four and five of the hit show depicted the disintegration of Princess Diana’s marriage to King Charles III, still known as Princes Charles in the show, in the 1990s.
The final scene of season five shows Princess Diana getting ready for a vacation on Mohamed Al-Fayed’s yacht, the Jonikal, shortly before her death in a Paris car crash in August 1997.
Part 1 of season six of The Crown will show the buildup to her death while Part 2 will show its aftermath, including the start of Prince William and Kate Middleton‘s relationship.
The queen’s Golden Jubilee, in 2002, will also feature and the timeline will stretch just far enough to include Charles and Queen Camilla’s wedding in 2005.
Prince Harry will also be shown, raising the prospect that some features of his memoir, Spare, might be included.
Filming for season six had already begun by the time time season five was released, meaning it is possible the book, released in January, came too late.
However, the cast were seen filming on location at St Andrews University, in Scotland, in March, suggesting it is equally possible the script could simply have been updated following the memoir’s release.
If show makers did manage to slip some of Harry’s perspective into the script, it could provoke an explosive response in Britain.
A Netflix press release read: “The first four episodes (Part 1) depict a relationship blossoming between Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed before a fateful car journey has devastating consequences.
“The final chapter (Part 2) is told across six episodes. Prince William tries to integrate back into life at Eton in the wake of his mother’s death as the monarchy has to ride the wave of public opinion.
“As she reaches her Golden Jubilee, the Queen reflects on the future of the monarchy with the marriage of Charles and Camilla and the beginnings of a new Royal fairytale in William and Kate.
“For Part 2, taking on the roles of Prince William and Prince Harry will be Ed McVey and Luther Ford. Joining them will be Meg Bellamy as Kate Middleton. These will be debut roles for all three actors.”
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
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