WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for The Crown season 6!

Summary

• The cast of The Crown season 6 accurately portrays the ages of the characters they are portraying, despite a slight age difference with the actors themselves.
• The show’s unique approach of changing the cast every two seasons allows for the characters’ evolution over time without relying on special effects and makeup.
• The final season of The Crown focuses on events from 1997 to 2005, with the actors effectively portraying the real-world ages of their characters during that time period.

The Crown season 6 is the final outing of the acclaimed Netflix series, with the cast and characters being launched into a new era of the Royals’ history, and their ages changing again from the previous season. Since the drama is loosely based on real facts surrounding Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of the British Royal Family during her reign, the last season took the events closer to recent history. Depicting events at the turn of the millennium, the cast offers compelling performances appropriate for the timeline, as The Crown season 6 follows eight years in the Royals’ lives from 1997 until around 2005.

Peter Morgan’s The Crown had a unique approach to its six seasons: every two seasons, the cast changed, so they could keep up with the characters’ evolution over time without distracting special effects and makeup. Each season deals with a different period of British history, and the change in actors helps support the development of each character across these eras. With many season 5 actors reprising their roles in The Crown season 6’s cast, the real-world progression of time as well as the show’s rapidly moving timeline means the actors’ ages rarely correspond with their characters. When filming between August 2022 and April 2023, The Crown season 6’s cast largely played their characters at different ages from themselves.

Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda Staunton)

Staunton Follows Queen Elizabeth In Her 70s

Queen Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926 in London and became Queen on June 2, 1953, when she was 27. Her reign was portrayed on the show with the help of three different actresses as Queen Elizabeth: Claire Foy in season 1 and 2, Olivia Colman for the middle seasons 3 and 4, and Imelda Staunton for the last two. The Crown season 6’s timeline starts in 1997, when the Queen was 71 years old, and ends in 2005, when Her Majesty was 79 years old. In comparison, Imelda Staunton was 66 and 67 years old when she filmed season 6, so there wasn’t too significant a difference in the actor and character’s ages in part 1.

Prince Philip/Duke Of Edinburgh (Jonathan Pryce)

Prince Philip Is In His Late 70s & Early 80s In The Crown Season 6

Jonathan Pryce joined The Crown in season 5, portraying the Duke of Edinburgh, commonly known as Prince Philip, after Matt Smith and Tobias Menzies. Born on June 10, 1921, Prince Philip was 76 years old in The Crown part 1 and 84 years old by 2005. While filming for the final season of The Crown, Jonathan Pryce was approximately 75 years old, very close to the character he was portraying.

Prince Charles (Dominic West)

Prince Charles Is Primarily In His 50s In The Crown Season 6

Dominic West was the second actor taking on the adult role of Queen Elizabeth’s firstborn child, after Josh O’Connor’s Prince Charles in The Crown season 4. Born on November 14, 1948, Prince Charles was still only 48 years old during The Crown season 6, part 1‘s timeline, which ended in September 1997. By the time The Crown season 6’s timeline ends in 2005, Charles is approximately 56 or 57 years old. In real life, Dominic West was 52 and 53 when filming for The Crown season 6.

Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki)

Princess Diana Was Only 36 Years Old At The Time Of Her Death

Elizabeth Debicki’s take on Princess Diana, dubbed the People’s Princess, received critical acclaim, earning an Emmy nomination for her portrayal. She followed Emma Corrin’s portrayal of a younger Diana in The Crown season 4. Born on July 1, 1961, Princess Diana was 36 years old when she died on August 31, 1997, with this tragic event being the focus of The Crown season 6, part 1’s ending. When filming for the final season, Debicki was 32 years old.

Prince William (Rufus Kampa/Ed McVey)

Season 6 Had Two Actors Portray Prince William

Prince William was portrayed by different actors throughout The Crown, and the series used two different actors for season 6 alone. Part 1 showed a teenage William, portrayed by Rufus Kampa, when the heir was 15 years old. In reality, when filming season 6, which was his first acting credit, Kampa was 16 years old.

The Crown season 6, part 2 introduces an older Prince William, this time played by Ed McVey. Born on June 21, 1982, Prince William is just 23 years old at the end of season 6. As for the actor portraying him, McVey was 21 when filming for the last season of the beloved series.

Prince Harry (Fflyn Edwards/Luther Ford)

There Are Also 2 Actors for Prince Harry in Season 6

Similar to Prince William, there were several actors portraying Prince Harry throughout the seasons, but his bigger role started in season 6. Because of this, in the first part of season 6, Fflyn Edwards took over the role, when Harry was merely 12 years old. In real life, Edwards was 13 and 14 when filming for The Crown.

In The Crown season 6, part 2, the role went to Luther Ford, covering Prince Harry as he grew older. By the time the series ends in 2005, Prince Harry, born on September 15, 1984, is approximately 20-21 years old. Luther Ford’s age has yet to be publically confirmed, so it’s unclear how old he was when he filmed for the show, with The Crown being his first acting credit.

Princess Margaret (Lesley Manville)

Margaret Is In Her Late 60s

Throughout the series, Princess Margaret was portrayed by three actresses: Vanessa Kirby, Helena Bonham Carter, and Lesley Manville. The latter took over the role in seasons 5 and 6, and at the beginning of the final season, Margaret was 67, having been born on August 21, 1930. She unfortunately passed away in February 2002 at the age of 71. When filming for the final season, Lesley Manville was 66 and 67 years old.

Queen Mother (Marcia Warren)

The Queen Mother Surpasses 100 Years Old

There were several actresses playing the Queen Mother, Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, with Marcia Warren being the last one. In 1997, when season 6’s timeline began, the Queen Mother was 96–97 years old. She unfortunately passed away in March 2002 at age 101. The biggest difference so far between the actor and the character it portrayed, Marcia Warren was merely 78 and 79 years old when filming for The Crown season 6.

Princess Anne (Claudia Harrison)

Her Majesty’s Second Born

Claudia Harrison portrayed Princess Anne in season 5 and 6. In The Crown season 6, part 1, Princess Anne was 46–47 years old. By 2005, when the series wraps up, Princess Anne was approximately 55 years old. When filming, Claudia Harrison was 46 and 47 years old, very close to Princess Anne’s real age at season 6’s start.

Kate Middleton (Meg Bellamy)

Kate Is In Her Early 20s

Kate Middleton is played by Meg Bellamy, being introduced in The Crown season 6, part 2 for one of the most anticipated moments of the series. Kate Middleton, Prince William’s current wife, met the future king at the University of St. Andrews in 2001, when she and Prince William were 19 years old. In 2005, when the series comes a draw, both were 23 years old. In reality, Meg Bellamy was 20 and 21 when filming for The Crown.

Camilla Parker Bowles (Olivia Williams)

Camilla Is In Her 50s In The Crown Season 6

Olivia Williams was the last actress to portray Camilla Parker Bowles, Prince Charles’ second wife and Queen. In 1997, Camilla was 50 years old, and, by the end of the Netflix series, she was approximately 58 years old. Olivia Williams was 54 when filming for The Crown season 6, right around the same age as her character.

Dodi Fayed (Khalid Abdalla)

Dodi Was A Few Years Older Than Diana

Dodi Fayed was a big part of The Crown in the last few episodes of season 5 and in season 6, part 1. He was portrayed in both seasons by Khalid Abdalla. In 1997, the year he dated Diana (and ended his engagement to Kelly Fisher) and tragically passed away in the car crash, Dodi Fayed was just 42 years old. In reality, Khalid Abdalla was 40 and 41 when filming for the series.

Mohamed Al-Fayed (Salim Daw)

Dodi Fayed’s Father Was 68 Years Old In 1997

Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed, Dodi’s father, appeared in season 5 and 6 of The Crown. Salim Daw played him in both seasons. In season 6, part 1, Al-Fayed was 68 years old, playing the role of a matchmaker and grieving father. In reality, Salim Daw was 71 and 72 years old when filming for the Netflix drama.

Tony Blair (Bertie Carvel)

Tony Blair Is Primarily In His 40s In The Crown Season 6

Tony Blair appeared in The Crown in the last episode of season 5 and continued to be an important part in season 6, too. The Prime Minister was played in the show’s final two seasons by Bertie Carvel. At the beginning of season 6, Tony Blair was 44 years old, and was 52 by the end of the series. In contrast, Bertie Carvel was 44 and 45 when he played Tony Blair on Peter Morgan’s The Crown season 6.

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  The Crown

  Release Date:

  2016-11-04

  Cast:

  Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, Imelda Staunton, Matt Smith, Tobias Menzies, Jonathan Pryce, Vanessa Kirby, Helena Bonham Carter, Lesley Manville, Victoria Hamilton, Marion Bailey, Marcia Warren

  Main Genre:

  Biography

  Genres:

  Biography, Drama, History

  Rating:

  TV-MA

  Seasons:

  5

  Summary:

  This drama follows the political rivalries and romance of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign and the events that shaped the second half of the 20th century.

  As the 1970s are drawing to a close, Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman) and her family find themselves preoccupied with safeguarding the line of succession by securing an appropriate bride for Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor), who is still unmarried at 30. As the nation begins to feel the impact of divisive policies introduced by Britain’s first female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson), tensions arise between her and the Queen which only grow worse as Thatcher leads the country into the Falklands War, generating conflict within the Commonwealth. While Charles’ romance with a young Lady Diana Spencer (Emma Corrin) provides a much-needed fairytale to unite the British people, behind closed doors, the Royal family is becoming increasingly divided.

  Website:

  https://www.netflix.com/title/80025678

  Cinematographer:

  Stuart Howell, Adriano Goldman

  Creator:

  Peter Morgan

  Distributor:

  Netflix

  Main Characters:

  Peter Townsend, Prince Philip, Anthony Eden, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, Queen Mary, Prince Charles, Princess Margaret

  Producer:

  Andy Stebbing, Martin Harrison, Michael Casey, Andrew Eaton, Oona O’Beirn, Faye Ward

  Production Company:

  Sony Pictures Television, Left Bank Pictures

  Sfx Supervisor:

  John Smith, Chris Stoaling

  Writers:

  Peter Morgan

  Number of Episodes:

  50