Well, Netflix’s ‘The Crown’ Might Not Be Completely Done After All

(Image credit: Alamy)

published 7 May 2024

Well, it turns out that the end of last year might not be the end of Netflix’s hit series The Crown, after all. Based on the resounding success of Scoop (also on Netflix, and about Prince Andrew’s trainwreck 2019 BBC Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis), Tatler reports that Netflix bosses are planning a new prequel series of The Crown to focus on former royal playboys.

The new iteration of The Crown “could be set to return as a miniseries or a film,” Tatler writes. The original series spanned six seasons and seven years, from 2016 to 2023, but this iteration would see new installments of the show in bite-size helpings, the outlet reports. Tatler said the success of Scoop, released on April 5, showed there was still interest in singular moments in time when it comes to the British royal family.

“If they can repeat that pattern by delivering prequels in a shorter form, they believe they may have come up with a winning formula for a new incarnation of The Crown,” a source said.

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Gillian Anderson and Rufus Sewell in "Scoop" — The success of "Scoop" is apparently prompting discussions about a prequel to "The Crown."

The first royal reportedly being considered is Edward VII, also known as Bertie—the eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and the great-grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II. (Not to be confused with her father, who was also nicknamed Bertie.) Edward VII took the throne in 1901 and was embroiled in numerous scandals throughout his life—and gained a reputation as a playboy prince and the nickname “Dirty Bertie.” (Yikes.) He died at age 68 “due to health issues brought on by his copious smoking,” Tatler writes.

King Edward VII, aka "Dirty Bertie," at his Coronation.

Though early seasons of The Crown were met with critical acclaim and high praise, later seasons drew ample controversy over historical accuracy. “When the sixth season was released at the end of 2023, some breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the controversial show had been put to bed for good,” Tatler reports. (Dame Judi Dench even wrote a letter to The Times in 2022 condemning the show’s portrayal of certain figures.)

Royal expert Hugo Vickers wrote in Tatler last year that there was “no one happier than he” that The Crown had come to an end: “Since 2016, I have forensically taken apart the 50 episodes in the first five series for The Times,” he wrote. “I found numerous mistakes in storylines and timelines. Characters were introduced into the story who could not have been there, dead people were portrayed as still living. I pointed out these errors, thinking I was catching the filmmakers out—that they had done shoddy homework and made silly errors. These they most certainly had. What I did not realize was the truth seems to have been of no interest to them at all. They were only interested in drama, and they obtained it in many devious ways.”

In particular, “There has been extensive criticism that no disclaimer appeared at the beginning of each episode to make it clear that we were watching fictional versions of real-life happenings,” Vickers continued. “They refused to add one.”

Whether that will change with the potential new prequel remains to be seen, but fans of The Crown should find this news at least a bit hopeful.

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.