The major political controversy of the war in Iraq is one of the many stories that The Crown season 6 should cover. The final season of Netflix's historical drama will depict the lead-up to and aftermath of the tragic death of Princess Diana in 1997, but the casting of Ed McVey as an older Prince William suggests that season 6 will go beyond the tragedy of 1997. The start of the new millennium was a tumultuous time for both Western society, and the Royal family, and it's likely that showrunner Peter Morgan will reflect this in the second half of The Crown season 6.
As much as The Crown is about the British Monarchy, it's also focused on the relationship between Queen and government. Each season of The Crown features the Queen's weekly audience with Prime Ministers such as Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson) in season 4. Season 4 of The Crown depicted Thatcher overseeing the Falklands conflict, so it's likely that season 6 will turn its attention to the build-up to the Iraq war in 2003. Given that Prince Harry would later serve in Afghanistan, it feels inevitable that The Crown season 6 will tackle the War on Terror, during which Tony Blair (Bertie Carvel) was accused of being misleading about the Iraq war.
The Crown Season 6's Tony Blair Arc Should Cover The Iraq War
Just as the Falklands conflict defined Margaret Thatcher's time in office and the Suez Crisis defined Anthony Eden, the Iraq War is the defining story of Blair's time as PM. Blair's other biggest Crown story was already told in The Queen, the 2006 movie that depicted the PM's attempts to modernize the Monarchy in the wake of Diana's death. Instead, the story of how the 2002 September Dossier, based on false evidence, led the UK into the Iraq War, and the subsequent public outcry, should form Blair's main arc.
It's known that The Crown season 6 will depict Prince William and Kate Middleton meeting in the summer of 2001, just prior to the devastating events on 9/11. On September 13, 2001, the Queen broke with historical tradition to honor the victims of 9/11 by requesting that the Coldstream Guards play "The Star Spangled Banner". It's highly likely that Peter Morgan will dramatize this moment for The Crown, and it's difficult to depict the impact of 9/11 without also addressing how it led to the Iraq War.
The Crown Creator's Historical Rule Makes The Iraq War Story Possible
The Crown creator has said (via Evening Standard) that he has a 20-year rule for the stories that he chooses to cover in the show. This means that the final season of The Crown will likely end in 2003, around the time that combined forces invaded Iraq in March of that year. In the decades since, more information has emerged about the deeply flawed evidence used to justify invading Iraq. The 11 volume Chilcot Report published in 2016 contains considerable information that would allow Morgan to dramatize the lead-up to the conflict in The Crown season 6, with the benefit of fore-knowledge.
The Crown ending in 2023 coincides with the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. Given that Blair was accused of misleading the public, Parliament, and his own cabinet, it's possible to accuse him of also lying to his monarch. This would provide a fascinating dynamic in the scenes between Carvel as Blair and Staunton as Elizabeth II as the show tackles the last epochal moment in British history that Morgan's 20-year rule will allow The Crown to cover.