Netflix Moving Ahead With Prequel to Wildly Popular Series
Fans of The Crown on Netflix have watched as the series moved through history. First, viewers were treated to a young Princess Elizabeth as she inherits the throne following her father's death.
Then, the now-Queen deals with family dramas and the introduction of Princess Diana to the Royal Family. The Crown subsequently dealt with Diana's tragic death, and Prince William's relationship with Kate Middleton. Many fans expected that the show would logically move on to current angles, such as the Queen's death, and the conflicts with Prince Harry and his wife, the former Meghan Markle.
Instead, it appears that Netflix will be moving back in time, as the streaming giant is reportedly on board with a prequel.
The Crown Will Reportedly Feature Queen Victoria's Death
(Photo by Imagno/Getty Images) [Koenigin Victoria von England 1842. Musee National du Chateau, Versailles, France.]
Daily Mail broke the story that the production company for The Crown "has got the green light to create the new project which will span the period from Queen Victoria's death in 1901 to the wedding of the then Princess Elizabeth in 1947."
A source told Daily Mail, "Netflix has been locked in negotiations with the company for quite a long time about this spin-off series, but they've recently finally managed to seal the deal and come to an agreement."
Netflix has not formally confirmed this information, though. According to Town and Country, the time frame means the show would dial back to cover the reigns of four kings: Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, and George VI, which occurred between the rules of both Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II. The latter ruled for 70 years.
The time frame also means that Edward's abdication due to the Wallis Simpson romance would be covered. The aftermath of the abdication, including Queen Elizabeth II's coolness toward her uncle, was featured in previous seasons of The Crown, but the series started after Edward had already abdicated the throne, changing forever the trajectory of the young Princess Elizabeth, whose adored father would die relatively young.
Queen Victoria's Death Caught People by Surprise
Since The Crown closely tracks real-life events, what happened in real life when Queen Victoria died?
Victoria's death was monumentally important. "When Queen Victoria died at the age of 81 on 22 January 1901, it took her family, court and subjects by surprise – very few had been able to contemplate the mortality of the monarch who had ruled over Britain and its empire for almost 64 years,"History Extra wrote. "Her death marked the end of the Victorian era."
The queen suffered a number of stressors and tragedies in the lead-up to her death. According to History Extra, her son died of throat cancer, her daughter was struggling with cancer, The Boer war was raging, her other son was shot, and her grandson died of a fever.
Victoria was fading dramatically before she died. "She was confined to a wheelchair, almost blind and had lapses of memory and moments of confusion," History Extra reported. Chaos erupted after Victoria's death, giving Netflix a lot to work with.
According to Daily Mail, casting for the prequel has not yet been determined.