The Crown to be dethroned early

Netflix’s The Crown was originally set to last for six seasons

Netflix has confirmed The Crown will come to an end after its fifth season, in which Imelda Staunton will take over the role of Queen Elizabeth from Olivia Coleman.

The big-budget drama, which is frequently ranked among Netflix’s most-viewed original series, will portray events up until 2003, having begun its first season set in 1947.

This means the show will not cover the relationships between young royals Prince William and Kate Middleton and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

The show was originally intended to last 6- episodes over six seasons but this weekend creator and writer Peter Morgan revealed the fifth season will be its last.

Morgan said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to confirm Imelda Staunton as Her Majesty the Queen for the fifth and final season, taking The Crown into the 21st century. Imelda is an astonishing talent and will be a fantastic successor to Claire Foy and Olivia Colman.

“At the outset I had imagined The Crown running for six seasons but now that we have begun work on the stories for season five it has become clear to me that this is the perfect time and place to stop. I’m grateful to Netflix and Sony for supporting me in this decision.”

The fifth season will cover events including the death of Princess Diana and Prince Edward’s marriage.

The Crown, produced by Left Bank Pictures, is one of the most expensive TV dramas ever made and follows the UK’s royal family since the crowning of Queen Elizabeth II.

C21 reported last year that the multimillion-dollar original drama series is destined for the linear television distribution market, with rights to the show soon reverting to Sony Pictures Entertainment.