The timeline of Netflix's The Crown.
The Crown's bold format replaces the entire cast every two seasons. In The Crown seasons 1 and 2, the series depicted the ascension of Queen Elizabeth (Claire Foy) and the challenges of her marriage to Prince Philip (Matt Smith), while Princess Margaret's (Vanessa Kirby) love life created drama of her own. The Crown moved into the 1960s and 1970s in seasons 3 and 4, ending in Queen Elizabeth's (Olivia Colman) Silver Jubilee, and adding Prince Charles (Josh O'Connor) to the mix. The Crown season 4 brought the saga into the 1980s and introduced Diana, Princess of Walles (Emma Corrin) and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson). With The Crown season 5, as the series' scope now spans from its post-World War II origins into the 1990s, which was one of the most turbulent decades for the House of Windsor.
Key Events Before The Crown Season 1
Among the momentous events that happen before The Crown season 1 (and are depicted in flashbacks), the most pivotal was the Abdication of King Edward VIII (Alex Jennings) on December 10, 1936. After only less than a year as the sovereign, Edward VIII gave up the crown, became the Duke of Windsor, and accepted exile with his wife, Wallis Simpson (Lia Williams). The Abdication "nearly destroyed the monarchy," and the crown ed to Edward VIII's younger brother, Bertie, who became King George VI (Jared Harris). While unprepared and terrified of being King, George VI saw Great Britain through World War II. Fatefully, George VI's heir became his youngest daughter, Elizabeth Windsor.
Other important events prior to The Crown's beginning were the death of Philip's sister, Cecile, in a 1937 plane crash, Philip sent to school at Gordonstoun in Scotland, Edward VIII being sympathetic to Adolph Hitler and keeping company with Nazis during World War II, and Princess Margaret beginning an affair with the King's equerry, Group Captain Peter Townsend (Ben Miles). These matters would impact the lives of and the decisions the Royal Family made for years to come in The Crown.
The Crown Season 1 Timeline: 1947 - 1955
The Crown season 1 spans 8 years and begins with the wedding of Princess Elizabeth to Philip Mountbatten. Winston Churchill (John Lithgow) also becomes Prime Minister for the first time in 1951. After a few happy years of being married to Philip, the death of King George VI on February 6, 1952, instantly turned the 25-year-old heir into Queen Elizabeth II. The Crown season 1 depicts the new sovereign's steep learning curve and her mentorship by Churchill, her first Prime Minister. While Philip is stifiled by Elizabeth's new role as monarch, Princess Margaret is forbidden to marry Peter Townsend.
Other major events depicted by The Crown season 1 include The Great Smog of London in 1952, Queen Elizabeth's coronation - the first televised coronation in British history - on June 2, 1953, Elizabeth and Philip's world tour to 13 countries, including Australia, from November 1953 to May 1954, the end of Margaret's relationship with Peter Townsend, and Winston Churchill's stroke before his resignation as Prime Minister on April 5, 1955. Anthony Eden (Jeremy Northam) succeeded Churchill and became the Queen's second Prime Minister.
The Crown Season 2 Timeline: 1956 - 1964
The Crown season 2 encomes the next 8 years and centers on the troubled marriage between Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, who is sent on a tour of the Commonwealth in late 1956. Meanwhile, the Suez Canal crisis in Egypt becomes a disaster for Great Britain, which leads to Anthony Eden's resignation and Harold Macmillan (Anton Lesser) replacing him as Prime Minister. The Crown season 2 ends with the resignation of Harold Mcmillan on October 18, 1963, and the birth of Elizabeth and Philip's fourth child, Prince Andrew, in 1964.
Major events depicted in The Crown season 2 include Princess Margaret's marriage to Antony Armstrong-Jones (Matthew Goode), who becomes Lord Snowdon, on May 6, 1960, Elizabeth and Philip celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary, Queen Elizabeth making her first televised Christmas address in 1957, President John F. Kennedy (Michael C. Hall) and Jackie Kennedy's (Jodi Balfour) visit to Buckingham Palace in 1961, Prince Charles (Julian Baring) forced by his father to attend Gordonstoun School in 1962, the release of the Marburg Files revealing the Duke of Windsor's sympathetic ties to Nazi , and the Profumo affair that involved Prince Philip.
The Crown Season 3 Timeline: 1964 - 1977
The Crown season 3 welcomes Olivia Colman as the new Queen Elizabeth II, and spans nearly 13 eventful years, the longest time frame so far. The Crown season 3 begins with Harold Wilson (Jason Watkins) becoming Prime Minister and the death of Winston Churchill on January 24, 1965. Major historical events depicted in The Crown season 3 include the Aberfan, Wales mining disaster on October 21, 1966, Lord Mountbatten's (Charles Dance) dalliance with a coup of the British government, the moon landing and the Apollo 11 astronauts' visit to Buckingham Palace, Prince Philip's (Tobias Menzies) role in the founding of St. George's House, and the death of Edward VIII on May 28, 1972.
Princess Margaret (Helena Bonham-Carter) and Lord Snowdon (Ben Daniels) travel to the United States and dine at the White House in November 1965 but by 1974, their marriage is over. The Crown season 3 also introduces Prince Charles, Camilla Shand (Emerald Fennell), who becomes Camilla Parker-Bowles, and Princess Anne (Erin Doherty) as major characters, and depicts the beginning of Charles and Camilla's love affair. Charles also becomes invested as the Prince of Wales on July 1, 1969. The Crown season 3 ends with the Queen celebrating 25 years on the throne on June 7, 1977, but her Silver Jubilee foretells dark days to come.
The Crown Season 4 Timeline: 1979 - 1990
The Crown season 4 spans nearly 12 years and takes the saga through the 1980s. The introductions of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister bring a new energy to The Crown season 4, which dually centers on Charles and Diana's 'fairytale' marriage and the Iron Lady's prickly relationship with the Queen. The Crown season 4 begins with the 1979 assassination of Lord Mountbatten by the IRA while Prince Charles is pressured to marry the young and beautiful Lady Diana Spencer in spite of his love for Camilla. After Charles and Diana's July 29, 1981, wedding, the couple's marriage quickly disintegrates, which is evident during their 1983 tour of Australia. The Crown season 4 ends with Thatcher's resignation as Prime Minister and a fateful Windsor holiday party in 1990.
Among the major historical events seen in The Crown season 4 are the Falklands War in 1982, Michael Fagan breaking into Buckingham Palace twice in 1982, the births of Prince William and Prince Harry, the Queen and Margaret Thatcher butting heads after the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in 1985, and Princess Diana's visit to New York City in 1989. Prince Andrew (Tom Byrne) also marries Sarah Ferguson, setting up the end of several royal marriages in the 1990s.
The Crown Season 5 Timeline: 1991 - 1997
Warning: Minor SPOILERS for The Crown Season 5car crash death of Princess Diana will not be depicted in season 5, but there are still plenty of tumultuous events from 1991-1997 to come for the Queen.
The Crown Season 5 premieres November 9, 2022, on Netflix.