A Guide to the Final Episodes of 'The Crown'
All ten episodes of season six of The Crown are now streaming, bringing the critically acclaimed Netflix royal drama to a close.
In part one, much of the plot of part one revolves around Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed's relationship, and tragic deaths in Paris, whereas part two focuses on Queen Elizabeth reflecting on her reign, and the early days of Prince William and Kate Middleton's romance.
If you're a viewer who prefers watching with spoilers, or just want a recap of each episode, we have you covered:
Episode 1: Persona Non Grata
The first episode's title comes from what Diana tells Dodi, saying she's "persona non grata" at Balmoral. It features two concurrent plots, both of which occurred during July 1997. (Though the episode begins with a man walking his dog outside the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris, foreshadowing the fatal car crash to come. This scene will replay in episode 3.)
In one storyline, Princess Diana, Prince William, and Prince Harry join Mohamed Al Fayed and his family in Saint-Tropez for vacation. Dodi joins them, and Mohammed encourages his son to romance Diana—while Dodi's fiancée Kelly Fisher later arrives and is sent to another yacht nearby. In the other, Prince Charles throws a birthday party for Camilla, and is upset when his mother, Queen Elizabeth, doesn't attend. Princess Margaret does attend, and she calls up her sister after to encourage her to support Charles and Camilla's relationship.
Episode 2: Two Photographs
The second episode of the season is framed around two photographs, taken by two photographers. One is the paparazzi shot deemed "the Kiss" by Mario Brenna, a real paparazzi who snapped the first picture of Princess Diana and Dodi kissing (it alleges that Mohamed Al Fayed hired Brenna to snap his son kissing Diana), and the other are photos of Charles, William, and Harry at Balmoral taken by Duncan Muir, a fictional royal photographer.
Also in the episode, Princess Diana goes to Bosnia for her work eradicating landmines, but the photo of her kissing Dodi breaks while she's there. The royals discuss the relationship drama, and Queen Elizabeth says, "All one wants is for that girl to find peace."
Episode 3: Dis-Moi Oui
This episode largely details the events of August 30 and 31, 1997, and the final hours of Diana and Dodi's life. While it shows them visiting Monaco, and escaping from fans in a jewelry store, the bulk of the episode centers on their final hours—including when Diana rejects Dodi's proposal—which is stressful for the viewer to watch, as they know what's coming.
Episode 4: Aftermath
The royal family, and Mohamed Al Fayed, find out about the deaths of Diana and Dodi. The royals go to church near Balmoral, and Prince Charles flies to Paris to retrieve Diana's body. Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth's subjects clamor for her to reflect their grief and comment on Diana's death, but she is reluctant to, until the very end of the episode when she delivers an address live from Buckingham Palace. This episode also features the ghosts of Diana and Dodi.
Episode 5: Willsmania
Part two begins in the aftermath of Princess Diana's death, with Prince William returning to school at Eton. Prince Charles tries to connect with his grieving son, but is at a loss. Elsewhere in the episode, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip celebrate their golden wedding anniversary, and Charles brings Prince Harry and Prince William to Canada (recreating the real-life "Willsmania" that occurred). In the final moments, William visits his mother's grave at Althorp.
Episode 6: Ruritania
"Ruritania" opens with a dream sequence of Queen Elizabeth imagining Prime Minister Tony Blair has been crowned king. The rest of the episode is about Blair's efforts to modernize the monarchy, and the Queen's pushback that tradition still matters.
Episode 7: Alma Mater
Kate Middleton finally appears! In Episode 7, Prince William decides to attend St. Andrews after taking a year, and Kate's mom Carole Middleton has her follow suit. (Did Carole mastermind their relationship? The Crown thinks so.) We see the first semester of Will and Kate at St. Andrews, when Kate dated Rupert Finch, and William dates the fictional Lola Airdale-Cavendish-Kincaid.
Episode 8: Ritz
Episode 8 is all about Princess Margaret, and the years leading up to her death in 2002. "Ritz" refers to where her 70th birthday party is held, which is depicted in the episode, and a flashback, when a young Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret left the Palace on V-E Day in 1945 to celebrate the end of World War II with Londoners—and danced with soldiers at the Ritz.
Episode 9: Hope Street
The penultimate episode of season six opens with Mohamed Al Fayed accusing the royal family of orchestrating the deaths of Diana and Dodi. What follows is Operation Paget, the investigation into their deaths (which really took place in 2007, but the show has it occurring in 2002). Also in this episode is the death of the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee, and poignant scenes between Queen Elizabeth and Prince William, where she advises him to try and live a normal life, like she had with Philip in Malta before she became Queen. Lastly (and most importantly?), this episode features the iconic fashion show where Will reportedly fell for Kate. "Hope Street" refers to where Will and Kate lived together as roommates during their second year at St. Andrews.
Episode 10: Sleep, Dearie Sleep
The series finale of The Crown takes its name from the lament "Sleep, Dearie, Sleep" that was played by the Queen's piper at Queen Elizabeth's funeral. The final episode sees the return of Claire Foy and Olivia Colman, who played the Queen in seasons one and two and three and four, respectively. The plot centers broadly around Charles's wedding to Camilla, but also features Prince Harry's Nazi costume incident, the Queen contemplating abdication, and the Queen and Philip planning their funerals. The final scene has the three Queens (Imelda Staunton, Foy, and Colman) looking at her coffin.
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