The First Look at 'The Crown's' Final Episodes Puts Will and Kate Front and Center

The end of an era is nigh: The final episodes of The Crown will debut on Netflix this December, bringing the streamer's lavish, incredibly expensive, and occasionally controversial drama about the reign of England's Queen Elizabeth II to an end. How exactly the series plans to wrap things up remains a mystery --- particularly given the fact that the queen passed away in September of 2022 --- but if the first batch of images from the final installments are anything to go by, it appears that creator Peter Morgan is gearing up to stay goodbye by looking to the future.

While the first five episodes of Season 6 were almost exclusively centered on the weeks surrounding Princess Diana's death in 1997, the remaining episodes of the series will see the story of the House of Windsor move into the early 2000s and shift its focus (at least somewhat) to the family's younger generation. Princes William and Harry have both been aged up --- and will now be played by Ed McVey and Luther Ford respectively --- and newcomer Meg Bellamy will debut as Kate Middleton. The story will follow William's attempt to reintegrate into public life at Eton in the wake of his mother's death, even as debate about the future of monarchy continues to swirl in the court of public opinion. (And on the pages of the tabloids.) 

William and Kate met in 2001 while they were both students at the Univerisity of St. Andrew in Scotland -- Will took a gap year prior to undertaking his studies there -- though their relationship did not become a public one until three years later. The future king was reportedly won over after seeing Kate modeling at a student fashion show for charity. (Rumor has it he paid £200 for a front row seat.)

Despite its inclusion of the early days of their relationship, the series will not feature Will and Kate's wedding or Prince Harry's relationship with and eventual marriage to American actress Meghan Markle. Instead, the series will reportedly conclude with the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles in April of 2005. 

Ostensibly, it's as good a place as any to end the story if Morgan doesn't want to get into the various messy dramas and college scandals of the Royal Family's younger set, and a sentimental nod to the man who is, after all, now currently sitting the throne of England. 

These episodes will feature the Queen's Golden Jubilee, a celebration of 50 years on the throne that saw Elizabeth and Phillip travel very extensively throughout the United Kingdom and several Commonwealth nations. There are several major events it is assumed Season 6 will have to deal with, including the deaths of both Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother in 2002. (Margaret died in February that year following a series of strokes, and the elder Elizabeth passed away roughly a month later.) 

Here's the synopsis. 

Prince William tries to integrate back into life at Eton in the wake of his mother’s death as the monarchy has to ride the wave of public opinion. As she reaches her Golden Jubilee, the Queen reflects on the future of the monarchy with the marriage of Charles and Camilla and the beginnings of a new Royal fairytale in William and Kate.

Returning cast members include Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Dominic West as Prince Charles, Claudia Harrison as Princess Anne, James Murray as Prince Andrew, Sam Woolf as Prince Edward, Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles, Marcia Warren as The Queen Mother, and Bertie Carvel as British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Given that these are the series' final episodes, we'll likely see at least some brief cameos from Claire Foy and Olivia Colman, who both each played versions of Elizabeth in The Crown's earlier seasons. It's also extremely likely this final run of episodes will include some form of tribute to Elizabeth herself, though your guess is as good as ours about what that will look like.

The final episodes of The Crown will premiere on Netflix on Thursday, December 14.