It's been almost two years since Netflix released the last season of The Crown. And finally, it's time for the fictionalised drama to return, with season five dropping tonight.

Season four followed the royal family between 1977 and 1990, including Margaret Thatcher's time as Prime Minister, the intrusion of Michael Fagan in the palace, and of course the whole Charles-Diana-Camilla love triangle.

The trailer for season five dropped last month, giving us a glimpse of what to expect from the new season, which will cover one of the most significant decades for the British royals - the 1990s.

Watch The Crown season five trailer here. Post continues below.

Before we binge the show tonight, here's everything we know aboutThe Crownseason five.

When isThe Crownseason five release date?

The new season will be ofThe Crownwill be dropping at 6pm AEDT tonight, November 9, 2022.

And in more good news, all 10 episodes will be dropping all at once so we can

pace ourselves

binge the whole season.

Who areThe Crownseason five cast?

As much as weloved last season's casting, season five will see a brand new crop of actors take up the reigns.

There's even a fellow Aussie in the mix.

Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II.

Harry Potteractress Imelda Staunton will take over from Olivia Colman and play Queen Elizabeth II for the show's fifth and sixth seasons.

Aside from playing Dolores Umbridge inHarry Potter, Staunton is known for her role as Lady Bagshawe inDownton Abbeyand previously played the Queen Mother in the BBC seriesCambridge Spies.

"I am genuinely honoured to be joining such an exceptional creative team and to be takingThe Crownto its conclusion," Stanton said in a statement shared by Netflix.

Speaking about playing the role following the Queen's death, Staunton said: "It was odd, to say the least," the actress told EW.

Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana.

Australia's very own Elizabeth Debicki will be taking over from Emma Corrin to play Princess Diana.

The 30-year-old has starred in filmsThe Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Great Gatsby, Widows,andThe Night Manager.

"Princess Diana's spirit, her words, and her actions live in the hearts of so many," Debicki said in a statement.

"It is my true privilege and honour to be joining this masterful series, which had me absolutely hooked from episode one."

Dominic West as Prince Charles.

British actor Dominic West will take over from Josh O'Connor and step into the shoes of then-Prince Charles for season five and six.

The 53-year-old is best known for playing Jimmy McNulty in the American crime dramaThe Wireand Noah Solloway inThe Affair, the latter of which earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in October, West shared how he nearly didn't take the role.

"I said, 'You've got the wrong guy,'" West recalled when speaking to the publication. "'I don't look anything like him.'"

Ultimately, he changed his mind.

"I thought about it for several weeks, and it was one of those things you can't really get out of your head," he said.

"[I] realised that you've got to give it a go because you'll regret it if you don't. He's a fascinating man, Charles, and it's a fascinating life, and a fascinating role.

"I mean, apart from anything else, it's a huge show, and I loved the first four seasons. I realised that I could very happily live with this character for two years."

Jonny Lee Miller as John Major.

You may recognise Jonny Lee Miller, who was previously married to Angelina Jolie, from the 1996 filmTrainspottingor the TV showElementary.

Miller will play John Major, aka the 'Grey Man', who served as Prime Minister between 1990 to 1997.

Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret.

Taking over form Helena Bonham Carter is Oscar-nominated actress Lesley Manville.

The 65-year-old has previously appeared in filmsMaleficent: Mistress of Evil, Another YearandPhantom Thread, which earned her a best supporting actress nomination at the 2018 Oscars.

Fun fact: she was also the narrator in Stan'sLove Life.

"I could not be happier to be playing Princess Margaret," Manville said in a statement.

"The baton is being passed on from two formidable actresses and I really don't want to let the side down. Furthermore, to play siblings with my dear friend Imelda Staunton will be nothing short of a complete joy."

Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip.

Lastly, Oscar-nominated actor Jonathan Pryce will play the late Prince Philip in season five.

The actor, who will replace Tobias Menzies, previously landed roles inGame of ThronesandThe Two Popes.

What storylines can we expect fromThe Crownseason 5?

In January last year, Netflix announced the show will end with the upcoming fifth season. However, months laterThe Crowncreator Peter Morgan confirmed a sixth and final season will go ahead.

"As we started to discuss the storylines for series five, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons," he said in a statement last July.

"To be clear, series six will not bring us any closer to present-day — it will simply enable us to cover the same period in greater detail."

The Crown's fifth season will follow the now-late Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, King Charles, Camilla and Princess Diana, while also following the next generation of royals as teenagers.

According to EW, the season will begin in 1992, while season six will continue the story into at least the early 2000s, including Prince William's time at St. Andrew's University where he met his future wife Kate Middleton.

The trailer tells us the season will cover the fire at Windsor Castle, the ending of both Prince Andrew and Princess Anne's marriages, and the infamous Martin Bashir interview, where Diana says: "There were three of us in the marriage".

It is also reported to contain a fictionalised scene in which Prince Charles propositions the former MP with a plan to get his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, to abdicate.

And according to Dominic West, he and Olivia Williams do re-create Tampongate, the 1989 phone call in which Charle and Camilla - unaware their conversation was being recorded - engaged in some dirty talk involving Charles turning into a tampon. Yep.

The streaming service has said it will not depict the fatal accident that ended Diana's life, however, there are reports it will be included in season six.

Why has there been criticism about the show?

In October, Dame Judi Dench wrote an open letter to The Times UK criticising the show for being "cruelly unjust" in its depiction of the British royal family.

In the letter, the 87-year-old actress urged the streaming service to add a disclaimer before each episode, to remind audiences that the show is a fictionalised account of historical events.

"No one is a greater believer in artistic freedom than I, but this cannot go unchallenged," she wrote in the letter.

Former Prime Minister Sir John Major called the series a "barrel-load of nonsense" after it was reported the season would contain the fictionalised scene between Prince Charles and his mother.

"Discussions between the Monarch and Prime Minister are entirely private and – for Sir John – will always remain so. But not one of the scenes you depict are accurate – in any way whatsoever. They are fiction, pure and simple," the spokesperson for Major told CNN in October.

Dench backed Major in her letter.

"Sir John Major is not alone in his concerns that the latest series of The Crown will present an inaccurate and hurtful account of history," the actress wrote.

"Given some of the wounding suggestions apparently contained in the new series - that King Charles plotted for his mother to abdicate, for example, or once suggested his mother’s parenting was so deficient that she might have deserved a jail sentence - this is both cruelly unjust to the individuals and damaging to the institution they represent."

A spokesperson for the television show also said: "The Crownhas always been presented as a drama based on historical events."

Dench wrote that despite their statement, she insists they add a disclaimer, reminding audiences of that fact.

"Despite this week stating publicly thatThe Crownhas always been a 'fictionalised drama,' the program makers have resisted all calls for them to carry a disclaimer at the start of each episode," she continued in the letter.

"The time has come for Netflix to reconsider - for the sake of a family and a nation so recently bereaved, as a mark of respect to a sovereign who served her people so dutifully for 70 years, and to preserve their own reputation in the eyes of their British subscribers."

Prince Harry has also weighed in on the show, telling James Corden on The Late Late Show last year thatThe Crowndoesn't "pretend to be news".

"It’s fictional. But it’s loosely based on the truth," he said. "Of course, it’s not strictly accurate, of course not, but loosely it gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle, the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else, what can come from that."

The 38-year-old added that he prefersThe Crownto the press.

"I’m way more comfortable withThe Crownthan I am seeing the stories written about my family or my wife or myself. BecauseThe Crownis obviously fiction, take it how you will. But this is being reported on as fact because you’re supposedly news. I have a real issue with that."

When asked who he thinks should play himself on the show, Harry suggestedHomelandactor Damian Lewis.

"Damian Lewis as you and me as William, that’s casting," joked Corden.

"It’s not great casting, but it is casting," replied Harry.

In November 2020, UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden addressed Netflix in an interview with the Daily Mail, calling for them to add a disclaimer to the show.

Charles Spencer, the brother of Princess Diana, agreed.

"It would helpThe Crownan enormous amount if at the beginning of each episode it stated that, 'This isn’t true but is based around some real events,'" Spencer told ITV.

"Because then everyone would understand it’s drama for drama’s sake."

However, the streaming service responded and refused.

"We have always presentedThe Crownas a drama – and we have every confidence our members understand it’s a work of fiction that’s broadly based on historical events. As a result we have no plans — and see no need — to add a disclaimer," a Netflix spokesperson told Variety.

This article has been updated on November 9, 2022.

Feature Image: Netflix.

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