The fourth season of The Crown was released on November 15th and, if you’re like me, you’ve already finished it in the few weeks it’s been out.
For those of you who haven’t already binged it, this season portrays the royal family from 1977 to 1990. Several momentous events take place. Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer meet and later get married, Prince William and Prince Harry are born, and Margaret Thatcher becomes the first-ever female prime minister.
Many of season three’s cast members remain, including Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth, Tobias Menzies as Prince Phillip, Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret, and Josh O’Connor as Prince Charles. However, several additions are made as well, including Emma Corrin as Princess Diana, Gillian Anderson, and Margaret Thatcher. The cast is extraordinarily talented, with each actor contributing performances that are so strong, one could mistake them for their real-world counterparts.
With a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, some critics are saying this season of The Crown is the best season yet, and for good reason. During this time period, many of the characters are at their lowest. Charles feels trapped in a marriage he didn’t choose for himself, wishing he could be with Camilla Parker-Bowles, the love of his life. Diana feels alone in her marriage and receives little to no support from the family, resorting to bulimia. Additionally, Princess Anne is also struggling with her marriage to Mark Phillips. Meanwhile, the Queen is trying to hold the family together and avoid tarnishing the family’s reputation. Through these tumultuous times, the audience is able to more deeply understand the characters, whether they are realistic representations of royal family members or not.
Said to be covering the 1990’s, and possibly Princess Diana’s death in 1997, season five of The Crown is set to be released in 2022.