THE CROWN – SEASON SIX (2023) – A royal achievement! Excellent from beginning to end

I had always been a fan of the long running TV series The Crown ever since its first season in 2016. Now as the series reaches closer and closer to the present time period, it has to invariably conclude. I have to admit that I feel downhearted knowing that this season shall be its swan song as I had enjoyed every episode of it. The show chronicles the life and times of the amazingly long range of Queen Elizabeth II as the Queen of England from the 1950’s to the present days. Throughout the seasons, the series had remained consistently remarkable at every level. It provides an inside look at the lives of the royal family in a manner that is both informative and entertaining. No doubt much of the actual dialouge and drama depicted on screen are a fictionalised interpretation of what transpired behind the closed doors. However, there is no doubt that the series has put in a tremendous effort to try to be as faithful to the true events without being disrespectful or exploitative.

This final season felt a little bit atypical of the series in the sense that it seems to have devoted a precious amount of time on Lady Diana, the Princess of Wales, rather than the Queen! Indeed, the first 4 episodes were mostly covering Diana’s fling with Dodi Fayed and events leading to their unfortunate demise in the infamous Paris car crash in 1997. I am not complaining. In fact, these episodes were riveting to watch. This was in part because Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki (who most of you will remember in Tenet), did such a remarkable job in her performance. She not only looked, sounded and acted the part, but gave such a spontaneous natural performance, that I felt I was watching the real Diana rather than someone playing her. A number of subsequent episodes focused on the aftermath of her death and the romance between Prince William and Kate Middleton. Ed McVey who played Prince William was well casted as well as he also looked and acted the part.

But the series is about the Queen and it aptly ended with a sombre yet gratifying note as we see the Queen and his husband Prince Philip plans for their own funeral. The final event covered by the season was Prince Charles’ civil wedding to his long time lover and companion Camilla in 2005. The series cleverly used this moment to provide the background to its final act where the Queen and Prince Philip are seen to reflect back on their years in the throne while contemplating on what the future holds.

The Crown’s creator Peter Morgan has left a legacy for the world to appreciate the lives of the royal family. Here is a series for the libraries for generations to visit and re-visit. I missed watching this series in 2023 as it was released only in December and I didn’t have the time to give it a proper viewing amidst the year end holidays and celebrations. If I had, it would certainly have been in my top ten TV series list for 2023.