In a surprise movie, The Crown season 5 will not conclude the show as had been previously announced. Instead, Netflix and creator Peter Morgan have opted to do a sixth and final season, which will bring the series into the early 2000s. The news was confirmed by the official Netflix U.K. and Ireland Twitter account with the following message.

"News from the palace: we can confirm there will be a sixth (and final) season of The Crown, in addition to the previously announced five!"

Back in January, it was announced that The Crown was set to come to an end with season 5. This means that former Harry Potter franchise star Imelda Staunton will get two seasons as Queen Elizabeth II. It was recently revealed that Staunton would take over the role in season 5. Oscar-winner Olivia Coleman is currently playing the part and will return once more in season 4. Peter Morgan had this to say in a statement.

"As we started to discuss the storylines for Series 5, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons. To be clear, Series 6 will not bring us any closer to present-day, it will simply enable us to cover the same period in greater detail."

This means we won't be approaching the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle storyline. Season 3 debuted in November 2019, with season 4 wrapping up production just ahead of the lockdown back in March. It's expected that The Crown will return later this year, but no premiere date has been confirmed. Cindy Holland, VP of original content at Netflix, had this to say.

"'The Crown' keeps raising the bar with each new season. We can't wait for audiences to see the upcoming fourth season, and we're proud to support Peter's vision and the phenomenal cast and crew for a sixth and final season."

The first two seasons fo the show, which debuted in 2016, featured Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II and Matt Smith as Prince Phillip. A time jump takes place every two seasons and, as Peter Morgan said, the original plan was to run for six seasons, spanning the life of Queen Elizabeth II. Season 3 took things to the 70s and Olivia Colman to the fold following her Oscar-winning performance in The Favourite.

With the unexpected renewal, the show will likely run into 2022. It has been a massive hit with critics, in addition to viewers, earning 26 Emmy nominations through its first two seasons. The show was also nominated for Best Drama at the Golden Globes. We'll be sure to keep you posted as further updates, such as a season 4 premiere date, are made available. You can check out the announcement from the Netflix Twitter account.