Throne into chaos

Imelda Staunton heads a brand new cast as royal drama The Crown moves into the crises and controversies of the 1990s

- SEAN MARLAND

NEW DRAMA The Crown From Wednesday 9 Nov, Netflix

Imelda Staunton becomes the third and final actor to ascend the throne as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown when Netflix’s acclaimed royal saga returns this week, with a fifth season that promises to be the most poignant yet.

Coming just months after the nation was united in grief following Her Majesty’s death in September, Peter Morgan’s Emmy-winning drama takes the Windsors’ story into the 1990s and a time when the public were beginning to question the role of the royal family in modern Britain.

As Her Majesty struggles to find her place in an ever-changing world, she experiences her ‘annus horribilis’ of 1992, when Prince Andrew and the Duchess of York go their separate ways and Windsor Castle is devastated by fire.

However, the most pressing issue facing the monarchy is the disintegration of Prince Charles’ marriage to Princess Diana, which threatens to bring about a constitutional crisis.