The first trailer for The Crown season 4 has finally been released. Though the 1970s is drawing to a close and the timeline is on the cusp of entering a new decade, it is apparent from the start of this trailer that the series remains firmly in the ‘Olivia Coleman and Tobias Menzies’ era.
Many iconic monarchical events are shown throughout, having been re-imagined by showrunner Peter Morgan and his team. All of The Crown‘s main characters are returning for season four, whilst instantly-recognisable figures of British history are also introduced – such as Diana, Princess of Wales, and Margaret Thatcher.
From the trailer, we can see that these two new characters will dominate this season – meaning that we can expect a lot of emphasis on one of the biggest shifts in British politics with Thatcherism, and similarly one of the biggest cultural shifts in the Royal Family with Princess Diana.
Source: Google Images
The synopsis ahead of this exciting reimagination of 1980s Britain reads that “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”
The continuation of the synopsis goes on to prepare us for more tension, saying that “While Charles’ romance with a young Lady Diana Spencer (Corrin) provides a much-needed fairytale to unite the British people, behind closed doors, the Royal family is becoming increasingly divided.”
Anticipated events that will take place this season include, of course, the election of the first British female Prime Minister and the wedding of Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles – though it was confirmed recently that the show will not be recreating the most-watched royal wedding of all time in full.
Source: Elle
Gillian Anderson’s Margaret Thatcher emulates immense power throughout the trailer, hooking viewers on the promise of ensuing drama between the Prime Minister and the Queen. Peter Morgan, The Crown’s showrunner and partner of Gillian Anderson, has reflected on the relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher both in reality and in his drama, saying that “It could be said that they are two very similar women, born only months apart. They are very much defined by the Second World War, by a sense of frugality, hard work, commitment, Christianity and so much more. It was a commonly held piece of wisdom that the Queen and Thatcher didn’t get on.”
“I think there was probably a lot of respect. But they also had many differences, it was really fun exploring their differences and their similarities. I also get a chance to explore them both as mothers. Writing Thatcher and the Queen as mothers was probably an angle that no one has explored before. It yielded one of my favorite episodes in the season.”
This season marks the end of another era of The Crown, with the 5th and 6th season seeing the introduction of a new phase. It has already been confirmed that a more mature cast will take up the mantel of members of the Royal household and the British Government as the show reaches the turn of the century and modern-day.
Seasons five and six have already confirmed the replacement of Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II from Olivia Coleman, and Elizabeth Debicki as Diana Princess of Wales after Emma Corrin.
Words by Caitlin Parr
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