Final season of The Crown split into two as Netflix announces staggered release
The Crown Season Six will be released later this year in stages
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The streaming giant Netflix has announced its sixth and final season of The Crown will be broken into two parts and released one month apart from each other.
The first four episodes of the royal drama will debut on November 16 and will centre on the developing romance between Diana, Princess of Wales, and Dodi Fayed.
This relationship culminates in the "devastating consequences" of their deaths in a Paris car accident.
The second instalment of The Crown, which consists of six episodes, will be available on December 14.
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This means The Crown will likely face competition from other broadcasters' Christmas programming during mid-December.
The second instalment of The Crown will show how the Royal Family dealt with the loss of Princess Diana and the effects of this on a larger scale.
Ed McVey will depict an older Prince William as he attempted to reintegrate into life at Eton following the death of his mother.
Imelda Staunton, who will once again play Queen Elizabeth II, will show how the late sovereign thought deeply about the monarchy's future as she prepared for her Golden Jubilee in 2002.
Dominic West as King Charles [R] and Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana [L]
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It is believed that the company's decision to split the series into two for the first time reflects its increasingly popular scheduling policy.
Recent popular shows like Stranger Things and Ozark have utilised the split-season concept, which enables Netflix to generate consistent coverage and maximise viewing figures.
Fans with a Netflix monthly subscription will be able to access both instalments of The Crown with only one purchase.
The show will also look at the budding romance between William and Kate while attending the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
Imelda Staunton and Jonathan Pryce as the late Queen and Prince Philip
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Meg Bellamy, who plays Kate, and Ed McVey, who plays William, filming The Crown
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In addition, The Crown will cover the 2005 marriage of King Charles and Queen Camilla. It is thought that the final episodes will be more upbeat as they look to a happy future.
The award-winning show, which debuted in 2016, will end on "a very big high" after the wedding festivities, insiders told The Telegraph.
The three women who have played the Queen at various points in her life helped narrate the 51-second teaser trailer that was released on Monday.
The final series will follow events from 1997 through 2005, a time frame familiar to writer Peter Morgan because it was mostly covered in his 2006 Oscar-winning film The Queen.