When you can watch The Crown season four in Australia

The new season of The Crown has finally dropped, with revelations about royal secrets and the long-awaited arrival of Princess Diana.

The highly-anticipated fourth season of The Crown has finally dropped and fans are loving it.

The new series includes the arrival of key characters like Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher and some of the most explosive plot lines yet.

Here’s everything you need to know about The Crown season four. If you haven’t seen all of the episodes, be warned there are some spoilers ahead.

WHEN WILL THE CROWN SEASON 4 BE RELEASED?

The full series finally hit our screens on Netflix on November 15 so binge away.

WHAT’S THE VERDICT?

The reviews are in – and this season of The Crown gives fans a lot of bang for their buck. News.com.au’s own Wenlei Ma calls season four “a return to form” after the previous uneven season.

“This series’ pacing is punchier, the production still lavish, and there are few flat episodes,” she writes.

“And the addition of Gillian Anderson in the cast as Thatcher gives the series a political through-line and consistency it hasn’t had since John Lithgow’s Winston Churchill.”

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Olivia Coleman is back as Queen Elizabeth. Picture: Netflix

WHEN WILL THIS SEASON TAKE PLACE?

Season three ended with the The Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977. Season four to picks up pretty soon after that, going into the 1980s, and includes Diana and Charles’s first meeting and the early years of their doomed marriage. Emma Corrin as Princess Diana appears wearing that iconic wedding dress and the series includes the couple’s six week tour of Australia with a baby Prince William.

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The famous Diana wedding dress was recreated for the series. Picture: Netflix

PRINCESS DIANA

The Peeople’s princess is finally introduced into the show with actress Emma Corrin in the pivotal role,

“I have been glued to the show since the first episode and to think I’m now joining this incredibly talented acting family is just surreal,” Emma said in her casting announcement in 2019.

“Princess Diana was an icon, and her effect on the world remains profound and inspiring. To be given the chance to explore her through Peter Morgan’s writing is the most exceptional opportunity, and I will strive to do her justice!”

Emma Corrin seen on the set. Picture: Splash News.

According to Corrin, who spoke toBritish Vogue about her new role, production recreated Diana’s exact wedding dress for the event. Fans were impressed when a picture of the dress was shared on Instagram ahead of the show’s release.

“We were filming the scene when you first see her in the wedding dress – I think it was Lancaster House in London – and I had a team of about 10 people helping me put it on, because it’s massive. I walked out and everyone went completely silent,” Corrin told Vogue.

Gillian Anderson has been cast to play conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Australian actor Richard Roxburgh features as Prime Minister Bob Hawke – a role he has played before for the Hawke TV movie.

Richard Roxburgh as Bob Hawke in the Channel 10 telemovie 'Hawke'.

Returning cast members include Olivia Coleman as Queen Elizabeth, Tobias Menzies as Prince Phillip, Helena Bonham-Carter as Princess Margaret, Josh O’Connor as Prince Charles, Erin Doherty as Princess Anne and Emerald Fennell as Camilla Shand, later Camilla Parker Bowles.

There are also some guest appearances, including Claire Foy who played Her Majesty in season one and two, who appears in a flashback scene set in 1947.

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MARGARET THATCHER, PRINCESS DIANA AND THE ROYAL TOUR

The season focuses on The Queen’s relationship with Mrs Thatcher.

Back in the first season, the show emphasised the relationship between Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street, with The Queen and Winston Churchill.

Margaret Thatcher was the PM for the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1999 and this season focuses on the dynamic between two incredibly powerful women.

The fourth season also focuses on the marriage of Prince Charles and then Lady Diana Spencer. Diana as only 20-years-old when she married Prince Charles at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

It’s a moment in history that fans of the show have been waiting for since its release.

Another event the show portrays is the royal tour of Australia in 1983, which was shot in Spain.

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Josh O'Connor and Emma Corrin playing Charles and Diana. Picture: Splash News

The series also includes the events surrounding the assassination of Lord Mountbatten (Charles Dance), who was killed by an IRA bomb in 1979.

IS THERE A SEASON FIVE?

There sure is.

Deadline reports that filming for season five will begin in June 2021. However there will be a pause between season five and six to change casting.

The fifth season is expected to hit Netflix in 2022.

Imelda Staunton, the next Queen Elizabeth (for season five) recently toldEntertainment Weeklythat her research for the role is “ongoing” – but she expects that filming on season five will be delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

“I think everything in the world is going to get pushed on, isn’t it?” she said. “So who knows? I’ve been chipping away at it quietly.”

Season five will most likely show the momentous events that include the marriage of Prince Andrew to Sarah Ferguson and scandalous events that led to their separation. Diana and Charles’ divorce, the affairs, the burning of Windsor Castle, the death of Diana and then the new generation of royals including Prince William and Prince Harry.

However, will the current news of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leaving the royal family make the show in season six? Maybe not.

Creator Peter Morgan told Entertainment Weekly he prefers to keep the focus on historical topics.

“I feel uncomfortable writing about events within a certain time period. I think there’s a certain amount of time within which, if you write about it, what you do instantly becomes journalistic. Because it’s too close to the moment.

“If you wait a certain amount of time, if you allow fifteen or twenty years, basically a generation, between you and [the events] then you can write about it somewhat freely as drama,” he said.

“Meghan and Harry are in the middle of their journey, and I don’t know what their journey is or how it will end,” he The Hollywood Reporter. “One wishes some happiness, but I’m much more comfortable writing about things that happened at least 20 years ago.”

WHO WILL BE CAST AS THE NEW GENERATION ROYALS?

It is expected that all roles will have to be recast again with older actors.

In addition to Staunton as the next Queen Elizabeth II, Lesley Manville will take over the role of Princess Margaret, previously played by Helena Bonham Carter and Vanessa Kirby.

“I could not be happier to be playing Princess Margaret, the baton is being passed on from two formidable actresses and I really don’t want to let the side down,” Manville said after landing the role.

“Furthermore, to play siblings with my dear friend Imelda Staunton will be nothing short of a complete joy.”

Oscar nominee Jonathan Pryce will follow in the footsteps of Matt Smith and Tobias Menzies, in playing the role of Prince Philip. “I am delighted to be working with Netflix again,” he said. “The positive experience I had making The Two Popes has given me the confidence to tackle the daunting prospect of portraying Prince Philip. To be doing so with Peter Morgan and in the company of Imelda and Lesley will be a joy.”

For season five, Elizabeth Debicki will play Princess Diana. The actress is known for her role in The Night Manager and Christopher Nolan’s latest movie Tenet.

“Princess Diana’s spirit, her words and her actions live in the hearts of so many. It is my true privilege and honour to be joining this masterful series, which has had me hooked from episode one.”

The Crown seasons one, two and three are streaming now on Netflix