Sure, The Crown is already expected to end after its sixth season, but according to former cast member Helena Bonham Carter, that’s not a minute too soon.
The first season of acclaimed Netflix drama may have started on the eve of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1952, but the series has since spanned decades of the British royal family’s history, and it has been confirmed that the forthcoming final episodes will include the early days of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s relationship. However, since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced that they would be stepping away from being working royals, fans of The Crown have clamored for the show to dig into even more recent events. Bonham Carter, who portrayed Princess Margaret in the show’s third and fourth seasons, doesn’t agree.
“I don’t think they should carry on, actually,” the Fight Club actor tells The Guardian. “I’m in it and I loved my episodes, but it’s very different now. When The Crown started it was a historic drama, and now it’s crashed into the present. But that’s up to them.”
Of course, between the queen’s death last year and Prince Harry’s oversharing spree in his memoir Spare, things have presumably been pretty interesting at Buckingham Palace lately. Though creator Peter Morgan has shown no sign of extending his six season plan for The Crown, it’s clear that viewers would happily binge-watch a prestige TV translation of these new developments.
“I don’t really want to contribute to the whole thing,” Bonham Carter says when asked about the latest royal revelations. “It’s complicated and it’ll get taken out of context. And I think it’s been given enough attention.”
The Harry Potter actor does not mention whether or not she’s actually picked up a copy of the book, but then again, it seems like everyone with an internet connection has functionally read the entire thing against their will. Anyways, The Crown team seems to already have enough on its hands with filming the fallout from Princess Diana’s death.
The first five seasons of The Crown are now streaming on Netflix.