'The Crown' Season 3 Will Premiere In The Later Half Of 2019, But Fans Still Have Questions
The world is currently anticipating the birth of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's first child, but once Baby Sussex has finally arrived, royals fans' next matter of business will be the upcoming season of The Crown. Since the historical drama's second season debuted in 2017, Netflix has announced new casting and story details about the royal family's onscreen equivalents, but the streaming service has stayed mum about the show's return date. We now know that The Crown Season 3 will premiere in the later half of 2019, but just as we're waiting for Baby Sussex, we're still waiting for a new season's exact due date.
Deadline reports that Netflix announced in a letter to investors that Season 3 of The Crown will premiere sometime after July 1. It will return in the second half of the year, during which Netflix also plans to release new seasons of Stranger Things, 13 Reasons Why, and Orange is the New Black. While we'll have to keep refreshing our feeds for a season trailer and release date, it's safe to assume The Crown would premiere in November or December, as its previous two seasons did. After all, when the real royals go into holiday hibernation, we'll need a new dose of the Queen to stay entertained.
Recent Academy Award winner Olivia Colman replaces the Emmy-winning Claire Foy in the role of Queen Elizabeth II for Seasons 3 and 4. She's joined by Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip, Ben Daniels as Antony Armstrong-Jones, and Helena Bonham-Carter as Princess Margaret. Josh O'Connor and Erin Doherty will play the Queen's grown children Prince Charles and Princess Anne, while Emerald Fennell appears as Camilla Parker Bowles, who was Charles' girlfriend before he met and married Diana Spencer.
While Diana (Emma Corrin) reportedly won't appear on The Crown until Season 4, the third season is slated to feature plenty of cultural and political history within the Queen's reign. In February 2018, creator Peter Morgan said that the season would take place from Season 2's 1964 end date to 1976, but other producers have hinted that the season will immediately jump ahead to the '70s. It's expected to focus on Harold Wilson's two terms as UK prime minister, the end of Princess Margaret's marriage, Charles' early romance with Camilla, and Winston Churchill's funeral. In addition to including Diana's first appearance, Season 4 will reportedly consist of Gillian Anderson's debut as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Now with a greater profile in the United States since winning an Oscar for her work in The Favourite, Colman has The Crown fans anticipating the season premiere even more. When her casting was announced in April 2018, the actress said, "I'm so thrilled to be part of The Crown... I think Claire Foy is an absolute genius. She's an incredibly hard act to follow. I'm basically going to rewatch every episode and copy her."
Viewers are still in the dark about Season 3's specifics for now, but at least we have a better idea of when to expect new episodes in our queues. Season 3 of The Crown will debut on Netflix in late 2019.
