TV The Crown season 5 trailer teases royal family eruption The new season of the Netflix royal family drama will cover the bitter divorce of Charles and Diana. By Clark Collis Clark Collis Senior Writer EW's editorial guidelines Published on October 20, 2022 10:00AM EDT "It feels it's all about to erupt." That's Jonny Lee Miller's British Prime Minister in the just-released trailer for season 5 of The Crown, which launches on Netflix Nov. 9. And his premonition will prove correct. When EW recently spoke with Imelda Staunton for our recent cover story about The Crown the actress confirmed that the show's upcoming season will detail some of the royal family's darker days. "This particular part of history, an awful lot happens," said Staunton, who is taking over the role of the late Queen Elizabeth II from Olivia Colman for seasons 5 and 6 of the show. "There's a lot of turmoil, which isn't made up — these things happened. I think there's a lot going on for people to take on this time around." Season 5 begins in the early '90s and covers a period in which hostilities between Prince Charles and Princess Diana, who officially separated in 1992 and divorced five years later, obsessed both the media and the world at large. Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II on 'The Crown'. Netflix While Charles attempted to present himself to the country as a man worthy of being the population's King, Diana tried to build a life outside the royal family and relate her side of the couple's story. Diana's quest resulted in both Andrew Morton's headline-making 1992 book, Diana: Her True Story, and her 1995 TV interview with now-disgraced BBC journalist Martin Bashir, in which she famously referenced Camilla Parker Bowles' role in the break up. "There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded," Diana told Bashir. Dominic West is playing Prince Charles while Elizabeth Debicki is playing Diana. The actress told EW that she feels "so fortunate to have this huge time span of years in which to play the character. It's my hope that people feel that there's an enormous evolution in her as the season progresses. For me, it's a journey into a human finding a part of themselves that is profoundly strong — there's a piece that has survived so much and can flourish." Season 5 of The Crown is, of course, the first to screen since the death of The Queen on Sept. 8. Staunton spent the day working on season 5 of the show and was shocked to learn the news in the evening. "We filmed that day, and then we got home and then discovered [what had happened] on the 6 o'clock, 6:30 news, so that was pretty devastating," said the actress. "I was relieved that I then [already] had a week off. Anyway, filming stopped. But it was odd, to say the least, and I'm glad I had time to regroup before I started again." Season 5 also stars Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Claudia Harrison as Princess Anne, Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles, Salim Daw as Mohamed Al Fayed, and Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Fayed. Watch the trailer for season 5 of The Crown below. Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Related content: The Crown star Imelda Staunton says she was 'devastated' by Queen's death The Crown's Elizabeth Debicki says wearing Diana's Revenge Dress made her feel powerful Battle Royal: The Crown's Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki on portraying Charles and Diana's bitter divorce The Crown's Elizabeth Debicki says Diana's final days are being handled with sensitivity Netflix releases first image of Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown 15 of the best movies about the British royal family