The Crown

2016 • TMDB 8.2 • 6 seasons • 60 episodes • Drama • Netflix

Where to Watch

In the US, The Crown streams on Netflix (6 seasons), including Netflix Standard with Ads (6 seasons).

Overview

From a 25-year-old princess stepping onto the throne to a grandmother watching the monarchy enter a new century, The Crown follows Queen Elizabeth II across six decades of British history. Peter Morgan’s drama pairs the private life of the sovereign with the public crises that defined her reign: prime ministers from Churchill to Thatcher, family scandals, state visits, and the slow modernization of an ancient institution. Three actresses carry the Queen through time: Claire Foy as the young monarch finding her authority, Olivia Colman as the middle-aged sovereign holding the family together, and Imelda Staunton as the elder Queen facing the 1990s and beyond. Around her, the supporting cast changes with each era, giving the series the feel of a living history book. Lavish, talky, and quietly emotional, it treats duty itself as the drama, and asks what a person gives up when the crown comes first.

Creator and Main Cast

Created by Peter Morgan.

• Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II (24 episodes)
• Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II (21 episodes)
• Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret (21 episodes)
• Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II (20 episodes)
• Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (20 episodes)
• Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret (20 episodes)
• Dominic West as Prince Charles (20 episodes)
• Matt Smith as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (20 episodes)
• Claudia Harrison as Princess Anne (20 episodes)

Seasons Snapshot

• Season 1 (2016) — 10 episodes; young Elizabeth becomes Queen and learns the weight of the crown.
• Season 2 (2017) — 10 episodes; Suez, marriage strains, and a Britain changing fast.
• Season 3 (2019) — 10 episodes; a new cast takes over for the 1960s and 1970s, including Aberfan and Charles’s coming of age.
• Season 4 (2020) — 10 episodes; Thatcher and Diana arrive, and the Charles and Diana marriage unravels.
• Season 5 (2022) — 10 episodes; the 1990s, as Diana and Charles wage a media war.
• Season 6 (2023) — 10 episodes; Diana’s final summer and the monarchy’s reckoning.

Why Watch The Crown?

• Six decades of British history told through one extraordinary reign, from coronation to the 2000s.
• Three superb casts play the same royals across eras, so the characters age before your eyes.
• Lavish costumes, palaces, and period detail make it one of the most beautiful dramas on television.
• It turns constitutional crises, prime ministers, and family rows into gripping human drama.
• A complete, finished story — all 60 episodes are streaming now.

Trailer

Watch the official trailer on YouTube: The Crown | Official Trailer | Netflix