Netflix's 'The Crown' to End with Season 5

"The Crown," Netflix's popular drama series about the British royals, will end with its fifth season, Variety is reporting.

The Emmy-winning series debuted its third season last fall and production for Season 4 has already started, which will introduce Princess Diana.

Fans of "The Crown" thought the show could chug on for a while and even tackle the modern royals, including Meghan Markle, but the show will end with British actor Imelda Staunton taking on the role of Queen Elizabeth. Claire Foy played the part for Seasons 1 and 2 and Olivia Coleman is playing Her Majesty in Seasons 3 and 4.

"I have loved watching The Crown from the very start. As an actor, it was a joy to see how both Claire Foy and Olivia Colman brought something special and unique to Peter Morgan's scripts," Staunton told Variety. "I am genuinely honoured to be joining such an exceptional creative team and to be taking The Crown to its conclusion."

Peter Morgan, the show's creator and executive producer, told Variety:

"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."

He went on to say that he initially 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 first three seasons of The Crown defined an era, and I know the upcoming fourth season will build further on that success. It's a stunning example of award-winning entertainment, created in the UK and loved by millions of fans around the world," Netflix's Vice President of original content Cindy Holland told Variety. "I fully support Peter Morgan's creative decision and am excited to see how he, Imelda Staunton and the cast and crew of Season 5, bring this landmark series to a fitting and spectacular end."

"The Crown" debuted in 2016 and also stars Matt Smith, Vanessa Kirby, John Lithgow, Jared Harris, Matthew Goode, Helena Bonham Carter, and many more actors. The show has won two Golden Globe awards – for Best Drama and Foy for Best Actress in a Drama. Coleman, too, won for the same role as Foy. In 2017, the show was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmys and Lithgow won Best Supporting Actor in a Drama for his role as Winston Churchill. In 2018, Foy won an Emmy for Actress in a Drama.