Will The Crown return with a prequel?

According to some insiders, The Crown could return as a miniseries or movie after Netflix bosses were impressed by the success of Scoopthe film about Prince Andrew.

Released in 2016, the first seasons of The Crown have earned critical acclaim, garnering numerous awards, rave reviews and high ratings. Recent seasons, however, have sparked some controversy for their historical accuracy. While the series promised to take a look at the life of Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family, many felt that it twisted the truth to fit various plots, presenting fictional stories as real events. When the sixth season came out at the end of 2023, there were those who breathed a sigh of relief at the thought that the controversial series had been put to an end forever.

Now, apparently, the bosses are planning to revive the historical drama in a new guise. Some insiders have declared to the Sun that fans could expect new episodes of The Crown, which would be distributed “in small doses”. A source reported that the success of the film on the Prince Andrew, Scoop, demonstrated that there is still interest in some specific “moment in history” of the royal family. And again: «If they manage to repeat that model, making prequels in shorter form, they think they have found a winning formula for a new incarnation of The Crown».

The first member of the royal family being considered to join the cast is reportedly Edward VIIalso known as Bertieeldest son of Queen Victoria he was born in Prince Albertas well as great-grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II. Having ascended the throne in 1901, throughout his life he was involved in many scandals, earning himself a reputation as «playboy prince» and the nickname “Dirty Bertie”. He died at the age of 68 due to health problems resulting from being a chain smoker.

A return of The Crown it certainly would controversial for fans of the royal family. In a letter written in 2022, Oscar winner Judi Dench criticized the series for its portrayal of some characters. In a note to Times, the actress said: “I wonder how the Netflix spokeswoman would feel if “a fictionalized retelling that imagines what might have happened behind the scenes” of her family was broadcast worldwide. Would you trust that viewers will consider it a fictional story or would you consider it an unjustified intrusion and distortion?”

Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana in Season 6 of The Crown

Daniel Escale/Netflix

Meanwhile, last year Hugo Vickers wrote about Tatler that there was “no one happier than him” that the series had come to an end.

He wrote: «Since 2016 I have carefully examined the Times the 50 episodes of the first five seasons. I detected numerous errors in the plots and timelines. Characters were introduced into the story who couldn't have been there, deceased people were depicted as if they were still alive. I pointed these out errors, thinking to catch the directors out, to point out that they had done a poor job and made silly mistakes. And they certainly had. But I didn't realize that apparently none of them care about the truth in the slightest. They were only interested in drama, and they got it in various devious ways. Their historical consultant, Robert Lacey, at one point declared that there is “truth” and there is “emotional truth.” Which simply means that if they didn't like the truth, they made it up, invariably to the detriment of the royal family. The fact that no one appeared at the beginning of each episode was much criticized disclaimer to make it clear that we were witnessing fictionalized versions of real events. They never wanted to add any.”