Photo: Netflix

Probably nothing more than an odd coincidence, but it seems rather fitting that The Crown creator, Peter Morgan, has revealed that the series will come to an end following series 5 on the same day that England officially says goodbye the EU. Alas, there will be no Brexit talk and, hopefully, there will be no Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s “Megxit” rehash and, really hopefully, no Prince Andrew exploits.

“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,” said Morgan. With series 3 currently available on Netflix and series 4 slated for next year, it will still be awhile before Anglophiles will need to look for the next bright and shiny thing on telly. Series 4 will be set during Margaret Thatcher’s premiership and see the prominence of Lady Diana Spencer with speculation that series 5 will cover the Queen’s reign into the 21st century.

While little else is known as to how and/or where the series will come to a close from a time frame standpoint, it has been confirmed that Imelda Staunton (Downton Abbey, Harry Potter) will take over the keys to the throne from Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth when production begins on the final series.

Colman, who seems to be taking home every major acting award in recent days, made her debut as the Queen taking over from Claire Foy at the beginning of series 3, which covered Queen Elizabeth’s reign from 1964-1977 beginning with Harold Wilson’s election as Prime Minister.  Colman returns for season four alongside Tobias Menzies and Helena Bonham Carter, who will return as Prince Philip and Princess Margaret, respectively.

Staunton, 64, said: “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. I am genuinely honored to be joining such an exceptional creative team and to be taking The Crown to its conclusion.”

Look for series 4 of The Crown in late 2020 or early 2021 with series 5 to follow at some point.