Netflix has continued production on Season 5 of “The Crown,” releasing a dramatic teaser on Tuesday that revisits one of the royal family’s most prominent crises despite recent outcry from across the pond.
The film introduces several new cast members, including Imelda Staunton, who will play Queen Elizabeth II and teases forthcoming upheaval in the House of Windsor.
“In light of the events of the last 12 months, perhaps I have more to dwell on than others,” the “Downton Abbey” actor says to begin the trailer.
The initial images show the dead monarch standing amongst charred remains.
Journalist Martin Bashir (Prasanna Puwanarajah) states that “the royal family is in a serious crisis” while a dramatic rendition of the Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” plays in the background. Charles’ affair with Camilla and Diana’s fight against the monarchy is at the heart of the dilemma.
Remember the one requirement, the one rule,” Prince Phillip (Jonathan Pryce) says to Diana. You’re still committed to this clan.
The Princess of Wales asks, “You mean silent?”
Following the introduction of Dominic West as Prince Charles and Olivia Williams as Camilla, the clip introduces Elizabeth Debicki as Diana (in place of Emmy winner Emma Corrin). Season 5 of “The Crown” will also replicate the viral BBC interview with Bashir in which Diana said, “I won’t go softly,” to examine the media’s portrayal of her feud with Charles.
Di promises, “I will battle till the end,” in the preview.
The trailer ends with the queen asking, “How did it come to this?” as she watches scandal after scandal spread around her.
Both former British Prime Minister John Major and star Judi Dench have spoken out against the streaming service’s promo. The Oscar-winning “Belfast” star sent a letter to the British newspaper the Times calling the series “inaccurate and cruel,” only days after Major dubbed “The Crown” a “barrel-load of crap.”
Dench remarked that the more contemporary a drama is, the more artists appear inclined to disregard historical authenticity in favor of excitement.
In spite of Netflix’s repeated claims that the series is a fictitious version of royal drama, the streaming service has decided against including a notice informing viewers that what they are viewing is fiction.
In December 2020, the streaming service said, “We have always portrayed ‘The Crown’ as a drama — and we have every faith our subscribers realize it’s a work of fiction that is generally based on historical events.”
