We finally know when The Crown is coming back. Netflix revealed our first look at the fourth run of the smash hit royal drama this morning, with the teaser confirming its release date. As you can see above, season 4 will land on the streaming service on November 15th, which isn’t too far off.
The 30-second promo reintroduces Olivia Colman’s Queen Elizabeth II, as she rides out of the gates of Buckingham Palace on horseback in full military regalia. “Something as important as the monarchy simply cannot be allowed to fail,” the Queen says in voiceover. This reminds us that the period this season is covering – the late 70s/80s – was a difficult time for Britain, with a lot of social unrest occurring in the country.
This vocal clip plays over various obscured shots of Gillian Anderson as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and it seems they’re holding back a proper reveal of Anderson’s transformation into the controversial political leader until the full trailer. The second half of the promo, meanwhile, is then devoted to introducing Emma Corrin as Princess Diana, with the somber shots establishing the overbearing paparazzi interest in her that infamously plagued Diana’s time as a royal.
The final shot depicts Corrin’s Diana from behind, on the day she marries Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor). Season 4 will cover most of their marriage, including the birth of their sons William and Harry, but their divorce won’t be reached until season 5.
Of course, season 4 is Colman’s second and final season in the lead role before she hands the crown jewels over to Imelda Staunton for seasons 5 and 6, the show’s last runs. Unfortunately, though, Staunton’s reign won’t begin for a while yet, as production is taking a break until next year, meaning season 5 won’t hit Netflix until 2022. This is par for the course for the series, however, which also took a two-year gap after Claire Foy’s era ended.
Be sure to savor The Crown season 4 when all 10 episodes arrive on Netflix on November 15th.
