The Crown season 5 release: 5 key talking points from confused Harry Potter fans to tampongate
Season five has finally landed on Netflix
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The Crown viewers rejoiced at the arrival of the show’s fifth season on Netflix.
The historical drama returned on Wednesday (9 November) with a new cast stepping into the (rather sensible) shoes of the British royal family.
As The Crown heads into the Nineties, Imelda Staunton has taken over from Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II. Jonathan Pryce plays her husband Prince Philip, a role last portrayed by Tobias Menzies.
Season five focuses on the demise of the relationship between the then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana, played by Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki.
The breakdown of their marriage, including the “tampongate” scandal and Diana’s Panorama interview, are among the most contentious topics covered this season.
The Crown has also been surrounded by controversy as royal supporters have demanded that the series comes with a disclaimer clarifying that it is a work of fiction.
Below you can find six of the major talking points from the season five release.
Fans were hyped by the return of Claire Foy
Episode one of the new series starts with a black-and-white flashback of the queen in her youth. It featured the series’ original Elizabeth II – Claire Foy.
Foy played the Queen in the first two seasons of the show, earning acclaim as well as two Emmy Awards for her performance.
Many hailed Foy’s performance, with one calling her “irreplaceable” and another stating she is “by far the best portrayal of the queen I’ve seen”.
John Major looked a little too appealing for some viewers
Many were left feeling conflicted as they found themselves fancying the former Conservative prime minister. In the series, Major is played by Trainspotting actor Jonny Lee Miller.
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“Why is Johnny Lee Miller playing John Major...he is far too hot. I don’t want to fancy John Major,” one fan wrote, while another added: “If you make me fancy John Major I’ll be furious.”
The Independent previously investigated why a show about largely unsexy people is so ripe with sexy actors.
Harry Potter fans couldn’t get one character out of their mind
Some people found it hard to detach Staunton’s most famous role from her new one as the Queen. Staunton famously starred as the wicked Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
It’s made particularly difficult as Umbridge’s high-pitched, RP accent is not a million miles off Staunton’s interpretation of the Queen’s accent.
“I love Imelda Staunton & she’s cast well as the next queen in The Crown, but sadly I still only hear Umbridge from Harry Potter when she speaks!” one person wrote.
An ‘emotional’ scene between Princess Diana and her sons
One scene from the first episode in particular had fans reaching for the tissue box. In it, Princes William and Harry defend their mother after Prince Charles mocks her suggestion of going shopping while the family is on holiday.
In a follow-up scene, Diana tells her sons: “Thanks for sticking up for me. That was brave.”
“Prince Harry and Prince William standing up for Diana, my heart is lowkey weeeeeeping,” one viewer wrote.
The tampongate scandal refers to a 1989 phone call that was leaked to the press between the then-Prince Charles and his mistress at the time, Camilla Parker Bowles (now the Queen Consort).
The scandal is tackled in the series, however, Princess Anne star Claudia Harrison she believes the British public will be “surprised by” the “truth” of the affair.
In a scene in which Anne talks to Dominic West’s Prince Charles about the recording, she tells him “no one deserves” the humiliation he’s going through, and says that when she got over the “gyneaological” aspect of the transcript, she saw “two teenagers of a certain age being so gloriously human and entirely in love”.
Relive all the major reactions from release day below...
Fans react to ‘tampongate’ in season five of The Crown
It’s the phone call that the world can’t quite forget – yes, the infamous conversation between then-Prince Charles and Camilla, in which he expressed a desire to be a tampon.
This season of The Crown tackles the moment, and fans are already reacting to its inclusion in the programme:
However, Claudia Harrison, who plays Princess Anne in season five, says the British public will be “surprised by” the “truth” of tampongate.
Here’s more below:
The Crown star says British public will be ‘surprised by’ the ‘truth’ of tampongate
Leaked phone call ‘was portrayed as a thing that it wasn’t’, says actor Claudia Harrison
The Crown season five features a scene between Prince Charles and John Major that is leaving many viewers surprised, but... did it happen?
The Crown: Did Prince Charles really have a meeting with John Major?
Major has recently called the Netflix series a ‘barrel-load of nonsense’
Find out why Harry Potter fans are struggling with the new season here.
Netflix users are struggling with The Crown season 5 because of Harry Potter
‘It’s all I can see!’ one viewer lamented
In other royal news...
On the same day as The Crown’s season five premiere, a protestor has been detained after eggs were thrown at King Charles in York.
‘Eggs thrown at King Charles’ as crowd shout ‘shame on you’ at arrested protester
The disturbance occurred when the monarch and Queen Consort were welcomed to the city in a traditional ceremony
Some people have, quite impressively, watched all of the season already!
Wondering how the cast of The Crown measures up to the real-life royals? Wonder no more.
How The Crown cast compare to the real-life royals
Season four of ‘The Crown’ is Olivia Colman’s last outing as Queen Elizabeth
Dominic West says The Crown criticism is ‘flattering'
Not all of the actors in The Crown are offended by the criticism against the show. Dominic West – who plays Prince Charles – has said that calls for the series to add a “fiction” disclaimer are “flattering”.
Calls for The Crown to feature fiction disclaimer 'flattering', says Dominic West
Calls for the new series of The Crown to have a fiction disclaimer added before each episode are “flattering,” says Dominic West. The actor, who stars as King Charles III when he was the Prince of Wales, said he felt calls emerged as The Crown feels “more authentic” than other shows and films about the royal family. Critics have called for a reminder to be added that the show is fictional so as not to “mislead” viewers. A disclaimer was added to the trailer, but series producers have declined to add one to each episode. Sign up for our newsletters.
‘Why is everyone in The Crown so attractive?'
Is the show’s relationship to controversy in direct proportion to the inapporpriate attractiveness of its ensemble cast? Adam White investigates why a show about largely unsexy people is so ripe with sexy actors...
Why is everyone in The Crown so sexy?
Is the Netflix hit’s relationship to controversy in direct proportion to the inappropriate attractiveness of its ensemble cast? Adam White investigates why a show about largely unsexy people is so ripe with sexy actors
Fans remember ‘remarkable' Claire Foy
As Imelda Staunton takes over the role of Queen Elizabeth II from Olivia Colman, fans are recalling Claire Foy’s earlier performance of the late royal in season one and two.
The actor won two Emmy awards for her portrayal of the Queen.
Olivia Colman picked up one Emmy for her performance as the late Queen
Like Claire Foy, Olivia Colman was praised for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in seasons three and four.
Colman picked up two Emmy nominations for the role, taking home the award in 2021.
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