On Monday, the streamer unveiled first-look images for part 1 of season 6 of the hit drama inspired by the lives of the British royal family on Instagram.
The eight photos showed the cast in character and scenes from the first installment of the final season, which debuts on Thursday, Nov. 16.
One shot showed Elizabeth Debicki in character as Princess Diana, looking downward through signature blonde bangs. Another depicted Debicki and Khalid Abdalla (who plays Dodi Fayed, her last love interest) sitting in the backseat of a car, sunglasses on.
The actors appeared to be wearing costumes similar to what Diana and Dodi were wearing on the night they died in a car crash in Paris in 1997. Debicki was spotted on set in a similar suit last year, hinting that the series will showcase Diana’s final days.
More art showed Imelda Staunton portraying Queen Elizabeth and Salim Daw as Mohamed Al-Fayed in solo photos.
West and two of the young actors playing Prince William and Prince Harry appeared to recreate a poignant scene of the trio exploring the River Dee at Balmoral Castle in August 1997, just before Princess Diana’s death.
In contrast, the picture of Debicki imagined the late Princess of Wales holding her children close, with an arm around each son.
Netflix previously confirmed that Part 1 of season 6 will see Rufus Kampa and Fflyn Edwards make their debuts as a young Prince William and Prince Harry, and re-cast the roles for Part 2 (spoiler alert!).
The final casting change of The Crown will hit in Part 2 of season 6, which drops on Thursday, Dec. 14. There, Ed McVey will play Prince William opposite Luther Ford as Prince Harry.
The first-look photos for season 6 also imagined Dodi looking pensive on a glamorous boat, the wake of the ocean behind him. The album also visualized Princess Diana leaning on the rail of a yacht, perhaps portraying the Jonikal or the Cujo, the private seacraft that Dodi’s father Mohamed al Fayed owned and the couple spent time on during their romance.
The new glimpse into The Crown’s next chapter comes one week after the streamer revealed that the sixth and final season will premiere in two parts this fall. The unique format marks the first time the series has been split into multiple installments — raising anticipation around the drama.
The first four episodes of Part 1 will follow the relationship between Diana and Dodi before the fatal car accident in Paris in 1997.
Four weeks later, the final six episodes will hit queues. The Crown will follow a young Prince William settling back in at Eton following his mother’s death as the monarchy navigates a turbulent time in the public eye.
Meanwhile, an aging Queen Elizabeth mulls the future of the monarchy with the marriage of Charles and now-Queen Camilla as well as the destiny ahead for Prince William and Kate Middleton, played by newcomer Meg Bellamy.
The streamer also dropped two striking visuals with the premiere news. The first poster shows Debicki in character, looking over her shoulder in a swimsuit on Mohamed’s yacht, and the second spotlights Staunton walking alone towards a bright beam of light.
The update came with a new clip about all ahead. The camera panned into a plush sitting room as a clock ominously ticked, with the voices of Claire Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton overlaid as the video rolled.
The Crown cast has changed every two seasons to reflect the characters aging through the decades, and the role of Queen Elizabeth passed between the three actresses. The teaser imagined the passage of time by filming the stars walking through a vast royal residence.
“The crown is a symbol of permeance. It’s something you are, not what you do,” Foy said, as a television flickered footage of her in character as a young Queen.
