Jeri Jacquin
Coming to Bluray from writer Peter Morgan, directors Alex Gabassi, Christian Schwochow, May el-Toukhy, Erik Richter Strand, Stephen Daldry and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment comes the royal finale of the most fascinating series to come to television with THE CROWN – The Complete Final Season.
Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki) is attempting to have a life after her divorce from Charles (Dominic West) going on vacation with Mohamed Al-Fayed (Salim Daw) while Prince Charles is having a party for mistress Camilla (Olivia Williams). Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda Stanton) is asked to attend but yet knows the repercussions of attending. One photograph of Diana upstages Camilla’s party sending Charles into a tizzy. When Dodi (Khalid Abdalla) arrives on his father’s yacht, he and Diana become closer.
Now the British government is being pressured to consider denying Mohamed’s application for citizenship but he is not going to take it lightly. Diana says goodbyes to William (Ed McVey) and Harry (Luther Ford) who are going with their father to Balmoral Castle, while she continues to support the Landmine Survivors Network charity. Charles takes the opportunity to use photographs of she and Dodi against her and coerces his sons to take a photo showing them happy with their father. The Queen is becoming irritated with the whole thing as Diana goes to France with Dodi.
Mohamed tells Dodi that if he marries Diana, he will work with him in the family business. Diana and Dodi are spending time together and to avoid the paparazzi go into a jewelry show where Diana points out a ring she likes. Jetting off to Paris, Dodi has a surprise planned but the surprise is that both he and Diana have a talk about their future. Back at Balmoral, Prince William is hunting in the vast lands of the castle and in Paris there is the sounds of a crash.
Mohamed goes to Paris to take his son home and the father is absolutely in grief but also returns Diana’s things to the royal family. Charles arrives to take Diana home and tells the family of the public response to her death. The Queen finds herself in a trap between what she believes should be the response to the Princess’ death and what the British outcry is telling her. Feeling pushed towards it, she agreed to a ceremonial funeral as Charles William, Harry and Philip (Jonathan Pryce), are followed with Diana’s brother Charles Spencer (Philip Cumbus) in the procession. The Queen does deliver a speech for Diana as well.
Charles is having trouble with William who wants to return to school even though the family tells him he can take his time. He starts receiving mail and becoming someone of a teenage heartthrob that makes him uncomfortable. On a skiing holiday, Williams makes it clear to his family that he is absolutely hating the press which Charles thinks is part of the struggle dealing with his mothers’ death. Thinking he is meeting the Queen but Charles is there setting William into accusing his father of Diana’s death. It takes Philip to calm the waters as William needs to visit Althrop.
Prime Minister Tony Blair is dealing with the invasion of Kosovo and wants US military help but Clinton isn’t as quick to give his support. When the Queen asks for ways he thinks will modernize the crown, she isn’t to keen to agree with his ideas. William meets a young woman named Kate (Meg Bellamy) who has a crush on the young prince. They meet again years later in college and he is now keen on her, unfortunately his awkwardness and a boyfriend get in the way. When Kate hears that William is thinking of leaving, she inserts her own opinion.
Princess Margaret (Lesley Manville) remembers a special time between she and her sister that is carefree but her life hasn’t been easy. Life choices and strokes are plaguing the now elderly royal. Taking care of her after a recent episode, they talk about that special night in 1945 as both become aware of their roles and how it, at times, kept them apart. More trouble is on the horizon as Mohamed accuses the royal family of being responsible for the death of Diana and Dodi and the Queen Mother has passes as well. William sees Kate once again and the two become roommates with friends.
The Queen’s 80th birthday is coming and advisers think its time for her to plan her state funeral and she already knows the bagpipe sound of Sleep, Dearie, Sleep must be played. Charles finally asks her if he may marry Camilla and at this point, she agrees to it after talking with the church bishops. William, Kate and Harry are put to the fire when a Halloween costume causes press trouble. After thinking of abdicating, the Queen reconsiders and Philip tells her it is the right decision as Charles and Camilla finally marry.
At the chapel, the Queen has a think on life and hears bagpipes.
Stanton as Queen Elizabeth was the absolute stellar choice to play the finale series look at the life of the Queen. She gave everything that showed what could have possibly happened in this remarkable woman’s life. Stanton gives poise, thoughtful choice, a bit of frustration and the care of a daughter/sister/wife/mother/grandmother that was not allowed to be seen to the public because of the raise she was taught to be a royal. Just brilliant actually. Let me just say that the final scene of the series absolutely gutted me.
Debicki as Diana is also a marvelous casting choice and I was in it for everything she gave. Playing someone with such a widely known public life is difficult enough, but to dive into the personal is another level difficult that Debicki did masterfully. Every award she received was absolutely well earned. West as Charles, well, of course he did it well. He is a diverse actor that can play good, bad and indifferent. In this case, that about sums up the portrayal of Charles and how the world sees this particular royal in the years prior to him becoming King. Williams as Camilla is portrayed as the sweet victim in all this which only lends to anyone watching to wonder how this portrayal came to be.
Daw as Mohamed Al-Fayed is a shrewd businessman but also wants a crown of his very own in the form of his son marrying Diana. That’s not to say he did honestly have a fondness for the royal but it is a duality in his character that Daw brings out. Abdalla as Dodi is a man who is trying to make a name for himself and doing it in a way that brings father and son tension. That is until he meets Diana but that in itself brings the media to the forefront in her life. Trying to find a way to share a life together. Abdalla is charming and frustrating all at the same time in his portrayal but it works in the story.
Pryce as Philip is by his wife’s side even when he doesn’t always agree with her decisions. He has an opinion and Pryce makes sure his character expresses it. McVey as William is a young man dealing with sad situation after sad situation and learns to come to terms with it in his own way. Ford as Harry is also trying but being younger, he is surrounded by those who jump in quickly to avoid the same situation that William finds himself in.
Manville as Margaret is so amazing but then again, I adore her as much as I do Stanton. The scenes between these two actresses are so beautiful as Manville puts her own touches on the lesser understood royal. Bellamy as Kate portrays the future Queen as actually how most people see her – open, genuine, lovely and outgoing. I secretly hope that in a few years they do THE CROWN again with Charles reign bringing Kate’s story out in the open.
Other cast include Claudia Harrison as Princess Anne, Eve Best as Carole Middleton, Viola Prettejohn as teenage Elizabeth, Beau Gadsdon as teenage Margaret, Harry Anton as Trevor Rees-Jones, Andrew Havill as Robert Fellowes, Jamie Parker as Robin Janvrin, Bertie Carvel as Tony Blair and Marcia Warren as the Queen Mother.
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The series includes the episodes Persona Non Grata, Two Photographs, Dis-Moi Oui, Aftermath, Willsmania, Ruritania, Alma Mater, Ritz, Hope Street, Sleep Dearie Sleep, Special Features include A Family Saga, Royal Weddings and A Lasting Legacy.
THE CROWN has won so many awards including Best Supporting Actress and Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series at the Golden Globe Awards and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the Primetime Emmy Awards for Elizabeth Debicki.
As a thrilled super-fan of THE CROWN, this is a series I absolutely can and will watch again and again. The performances of the cast from Claire Foy ending with Imelda Stanton is just so stellar and even that seems like such a small word to describe such a big event in the life of the beloved Queen Elizabeth. Portraying her has having the ups and downs of life all while trying to have a personal life along with her royal duties is unfathomable to most yet she did so with the dignity she believed was required of her position.
The Executive Producers, writers and directors has an outstanding formula in this storytelling and they took it and ran – taking us all along with them. Having all six seasons available means only one thing, those who have not seen the series have the opportunity to binge it all at one time (which I can absolutely see happening). The cast is exceptional, the cinematography and set designs are another character in the series and the costuming allows us to follow along with the changes in their lives keeping up with the times. Although, the Queen and her hats, gloves, shoes and the snap of the purse are iconic and can never be done again.
The complete series collector’s box set is now available on Buray! Winner of over 20 Emmys including Outstanding Drama Series, the box set contains all six seasons on high-definition with over 100 minutes of special features and a collectable 24-page photobook with a special message from Peter Morgan.
In the end – they are the family royal!
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