Before Season 5 of “The Crown” premiered, there was already a small amount of backlash coming for the series, most notably from Dame Judi Dench, who expressed her displeasure at the historical inaccuracies of “The Crown.” Unless you are a royalist, at this point we have to accept that “The Crown” is not 100 percent historically accurate. That is what makes it so good. If we wanted an accurate portrayal of royal life, we could read more accurate biographies or watch documentaries. We are here for the drama, and Season 5 is no different.
The fifth and penultimate season of “The Crown” premiered this past week, and boy was it … interesting. This season featured an entire new cast of royals. The third and final Queen was played by Imelda Stauton. She portrays Queen Elizabeth through her 60s and through the meltdown of the royal family’s public image of the 90s. Staunton is brilliant playing the Elizabeth most viewers are more familiar with. Her portrayal is subtle and regal, always put together … she is the Queen, after all. The most emotion we get from her is when she confronts a lady who seems to be getting too close to Philip (Jonathan Pryce). Her performance may seem cold at times, but maybe that is just what it is like to be a royal — that is, unless you’re the late Princess Diana.
In this iteration, Diana is played by Elizabeth Debick,i who is able to capture Diana’s physical and emotional effect. The most captivating part of Season 5 was the turmoil within Charles and Diana’s marriage. Dominic West’s portrayal of Charles is fine. The show’s creators seem to make him slightly more charismatic than what many fans would think the actual Prince was like. But can we also stop making him attractive in every iteration of the royal family on screen?
Besides showcasing the marriage troubles of Charles and Diana, “The Crown” also introduces the rise of an Egyptian street vendor who becomes the owner of Harrods, Mohamed Al-Fayed (Salim Daw) and his son Dodi (Khalid Abdalla).
Season 5 sets up Diana’s eventual death with her going on vacation to St. Tropez at the invitation of the older Al-Fayed. I know most of us weren’t even alive to witness Diana’s death, much less her life, but she seems to be an icon for every generation. The biker shorts and big sweater combo is enough to be grateful for life in my eyes. RIP Princess Diana, but I cannot wait for Season 6.
