After a hefty two year wait, season three of The Crown finally dropped on Netflix in November 2019.
We saw the royals react to the devastating Aberfan disaster, Prince Charles meeting Camilla Shand and Princess Margaret’s affair with Roddy Llewellyn, among many other juicy morsels of royal history.
But now fans are ravenous for their next instalment of the biographical royal series.
With the next season of The Crown coming to our screens on November 15, this is what we can expect from the show’s fourth season.
Watch the teaser trailer for The Crown season four below. Post continues after video.
When is the release date?
Unlike the two-year gap between season two and three – thanks to a complete cast overhaul – seasons three and four are being filmed back to back.
Season four of The Crown will premiere in its entirety on Netflix on November 15, 2020.
Who will be joining and leaving the cast?
Emma Corrin as Princess Diana
The moment we've all been waiting for may finally happen. While season three introduced Prince Charles to Camilla Shand, season four will supposedly explore Charles' courtship and marriage to Princess Diana.
Given that the season will explore the period of Margaret Thatcher's time as Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990, the show might even include glimpses of a young Prince William and Prince Harry, as those timelines overlap.
Actress Emma Corrin will star in the series as Princess Diana.
"I have been glued to the show and to think I'm now joining this incredibly talented acting family is surreal," Corrin said in a statement about the role.
"Princess Diana was an icon and her effect on the world remains profound and inspiring. To explore her through Peter Morgan's writing is the most exceptional opportunity, and I will strive to do her justice."
Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher
We can expect Margaret Thatcher's relationship with The Queen to feature quite prominently this season.
Dubbed 'The Iron Lady,' Thatcher was the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century and known for her uncompromising and fierce leadership.
Some royal sources also say she had a bit of a 'difficult' relationship with Queen Elizabeth II, so there's that to look forward to as well.
In The Crown, Gillian Anderson will portray Margaret Thatcher.
"Thatcher was undoubtedly formidable but I am relishing exploring beneath the surface and, dare I say, falling in love with the icon who, whether loved or despised, defined an era," Anderson said in a statement.
What storylines can we expect The Crown Season 4 to explore?
Let's just say show-runner, Peter Morgan, will have his fair share of dramatic moments to choose from.
Margaret Thatcher's leadership will feature prominently.
Just some of the historical events they could explore include her involvement in the Falklands War, the miners' strike of 1984–85, the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and Apartheid in South Africa.
From inside the palace, the show will probably also feature the intrusion of Michael Fagan, who broke into the Queen's bedroom in 1982. The Crown could also cover an incident during the 1981 Trooping the Colour, in which Marcus Sarjeant fired six blank shots at the Queen.
Princess Diana fans will also see her 1981 wedding to Prince Charles, their royal tour of Australia in 1983, and the birth of her sons Prince William (1982) and Prince Harry (1984).
Princess Diana's iconic wedding dress will also be featured.
"The Emanuels, who designed the original, gave us the patterns, and then it was made for me," Corrin told British Vogue.
"We were filming the scene when you first see her in the wedding dress—I think it was Lancaster House in London—and I had a team of about 10 people helping me put it on, because it's massive," the actress said.
"I walked out and everyone went completely silent."
While it's unsure if Morgan has cast, or will be casting, an actor to play an adult Prince Andrew, the time period will also see the royal leave to fight in the Falklands War.
Feature Image: Netflix.
Top Comments
Fantastic series, Olivia Coleman is terrific. Looking forward to season 4.
I hope Season 4 is better than Season 3. It was a shame Claire Foy was replaced by Olivia Colman who didn't do the role any justice.
Disagree. Foy's young ingenue Queen was great, but simply doesn't resemble the middle-aged Queen that Colman plays. The real Queen, in middle age, never seemed to be a warm or approachable sort of person, so the social and emotional distance that Colman has played really does reflect what she was like (and gives us some insight into how heavily the crown weighs on whoever wears it). I think a lot of the people who wanted Foy to continue in the role wanted the "pretty" side of the monarchy to continue front-and-centre, whereas in reality it didn't play out that way.
When season 3 started, the Queen was in her late 30s (only a couple of years older than Foy), Colman looked at least 50. I tend to agree with one critic's opinion that Colman has a 'working class face' and is not in the least bit aristocratic.