A new queen is walking the mean streets of Buckingham Palace.
Olivia Colman (fresh off her Oscar win for 'The Favourite' in which she proved her talent for playing royalty) will take over the guarding of the crown jewels from Claire Foy when the third season of Netflix's 'The Crown' airs this November.
In our first glimpse of what lies behind the palace gates this season, the teaser trailer opens with the queen examining two side-by-side photos, one of Claire Foy's incarnation of Queen Elizabeth II and one of the queen as we meet her this season, or, as Colman utters in perfect RP, the "old bat".
"A great many changes," the queen murmurs into the camera, her face a perfect mask of calm that recalls the real Queen Elizabeth II's poised manner in year after year of Christmas Day speeches.
Many changes, indeed. The third season of this critically-acclaimed Netflix original is reported to span 1964 to 1977, covering events that defined not only the personal lives of our favourite aristocrats, such as the coronation of Prince Charles in 1969, but also the very political makeup of the world, such as the decolonisation of Africa.
Changes have been made to the cast, too. Not only do we have the nation's current darling, Olivia Colman, donning the crown, but Helena Bonham Carter will take over from Vanessa Kirby as the queen's younger sister, Princess Margaret, and Ben Daniels as her husband, Antony Armstrong Jones. Daniels seems confident that this enigmatic couple will bring drama to the series. They were "completely addicted to each other," he confirms to Entertainment Weekly. "People often said that it was like foreplay for them, having a big row".
The mention of romance got fans excited over the potential for this series to delve into one of the relationships that defined the second half of the twentieth century: Prince Charles of Wales (played by Josh O'Connor) and Lady Diana Spencer. However, screenwriter Peter Morgan has stated that this season will actually deal with the prince's earlier relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles. "He was deeply in love with Camilla and forced to marry Diana," Morgan explains, leaving fans reeling at the prospect of finally getting a glimpse into this controversial royal love triangle.
Rounding off the cast we have more big names, with Tobias Menzies stepping up to the plate as Prince Philip, and Gillian Anderson taking on the role of one of the most divisive Prime Ministers of the twentieth century, Margaret Thatcher.
The combination of this incredible cast and a budget that would make even the queen's wallet weep (the lavish sets and costumes of 'The Crown' are explained by its astronomical budget of £50 million per season) will make for an epic next installment of 'The Crown' that will launch audiences and royals alike into the swinging sixties and beyond.
"Nothing one can do about it," Colman concludes as Queen Elizabeth in the teaser trailer, the camera focusing in on her, isolating the famous monarch. "One just has to get on with it."
We'll get on with watching the third season of 'The Crown' right away when it airs on Netflix on the 17th November 2019 in the UK.
