Editor's note: The below includes spoilers for The Crown Season 6 Part 2.
The Big Picture
- Despite criticism for its fanciful historical depiction, The Crown's final season focuses on Queen Elizabeth as she reflects on the difficult decisions she made towards the end of her reign.
- Elizabeth's meetings with Prime Minister Tony Blair and her realization of the monarchy's waning importance cause her to consider stepping down from her position as Queen and letting Prince Charles ascend to the throne.
- The cameo appearances by Claire Foy and Olivia Colman serve as a reminder of Elizabeth's humble origins and the challenges she faced in earning respect, as well as the intense moments in The Crown's history that put pressure on her to justify the future of her family.
Although The Crownhas explored the lives of various figures within the British Royal Family, the series has filtered its perspective of modern British history through the point-of-view of its longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The show that began as a coming-of-age tale about a young Elizabeth adjusting to life on the throne has become a sobering study of the older Queen reflecting upon the grand legacy that it left behind. Although Imelda Staunton delivered what may be the best depiction of Elizabeth yet, the final two seasons of The Crown weathered increased criticism for their fanciful depiction of real historical events. However, the cameo appearances by Claire Foy and Olivia Colman return the show’s focus to Elizabeth as she determines the future of the monarchy.
The Crown
Follows the political rivalries and romance of Queen Elizabeth II's reign and the events that shaped the second half of the 20th century.
Elizabeth’s Internal Conversations Help Her Make Important Choices in 'The Crown' Season 6
Elizabeth is ostensibly the main character of The Crown, as her ascension to the throne after her father, King George VI (Jared Harris), took place within the show’s second episode, “Hyde Park Corner.” While Elizabeth’s perspective gave the show a clear focus, it unfortunately became more challenging for the series to fixate on her when she played a less integral role in history. The Crown’s final season puts its focus squarely on a young Prince William (Ed McVey) as he adjusts to the media sensationalism that comes with his position. Although Elizabeth began to feel like a supporting character, the final episode, “Sleep, Dearie Sleep,” explored the difficult decisions that she made towards the end of her reign.
Elizabeth holds regular meetings with Prime Minister Tony Blair (Bertie Carvel), and learns that England has moved on from many of the traditions that the Royal Family considers to be of the utmost importance. Between the death of Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki) and England’s growing prominence in international conflicts, the monarchy itself fails to offer the same sense of security to the British Commonwealth that it once did. This causes a significant amount of anxiety for Elizabeth. As she begins to feel increasingly out of touch with the people she represents, Elizabeth considers stepping down from her position as Queen so that her son can ascend to the throne. Prince Charles (Dominic West) has been harboring his own ambitions of leadership and wants to take the steps to modernize the nation that his mother refuses to.
The appearances by Foy and Colman allow The Crown to illustrate Elizabeth’s internal debates as she considers what the best course of action is. These visions of Elizabeth’s past selves remind her that while the challenges she faces now are unprecedented, there has never been anything within her life that constitutes “normalcy.” She ascended to the throne when the possibility of a female monarch was unheard of, and had to lead the nation throughout the tumultuous events of the 20th century. Although the monarchy itself is more unpopular than it has been within Elizabeth’s entire reign, the visions of her past remind her that she never had the opportunity to live a normal life; for better or worse, it is her duty to continue serving in her position until the end of her life. Given Elizabeth’s real passing in November 2022, these moments are even more emotionally powerful.
‘The Crown’ Season 6's Cameos Are a Reminder of Where the Show Began
Beyond reinforcing Elizabeth’s decision not to abstain from the throne, the cameo appearances serve as a reminder of where the series first started. It’s easy to forget that during Foy’s seasons of The Crown, Elizabeth was still a young woman with little experience in the world. She had to fight to earn the respect of Winston Churchill (John Lithgow) and the other Prime Ministers in order to ensure that she received the respect that was befitting of her position; this wasn’t always an easy task because of her age and gender. Although these struggles became easier to take for granted because the series had moved forward, Foy’s appearance reiterates Elizabeth’s more humble origins.
Meanwhile, Colman's appearance serves as a reminder of one of the darkest moments in The Crown’s history. During Colman’s seasons of the series, England was faced with significant hardships, including the “Aberfan” disaster, the Cold War, the Falklands War, and the sensationalized marriage between Charles (Josh O’Connor) and Diana Spencer (Emma Corrin). This was a period in the show where the debate over the monarchy’s relevancy became a public one, and put Elizabeth under pressure to justify the future of her family. By reminding the viewer of The Crown’s most intense seasons, the series shows the strength of character that defines Elizabeth.
Elizabeth Is a More Empathetic Character in ‘The Crown’ Season 6
One of the greatest challenges that The Crown faced was its attempt to empathize with characters that came from incredible privilege. While it may have been difficult to make someone like Elizabeth feel “vulnerable,” the cameo appearances show that even the Queen of England deals with personal anxieties about her legacy. While the show has identified many of the key decisions Elizabeth made during her lifetime, she is forced to question if her actions will mean anything in the grand scope of history if the monarchy itself becomes irrelevant. Seeing Elizabeth deal with this internal struggle makes her an empathetic character; it shows that she deals with many of the same years that her grandson William deals with now that he is exposed to the press.
While The Crown’s final season ends many years before Elizabeth’s death, her passing casts a shadow over the final stretch of episodes. Exploring the history of Elizabeth’s achievements allowed the series to end on a positive note, as it celebrated Elizabeth’s life instead of fixating on the tragedy of her death. Although the series has been criticized for its occasional lack of historical accuracy, it would be impossible to understand everything that went on inside Elizabeth’s head. Taking an artistic risk like The Crown did allows the series to humanize one of the most pivotal icons in British history.
The Crown is streaming on Netflix.
