3 Key Relationships to Watch in ‘The Crown’ Season 5

Imelda Staunton and Jonathan Pryce in 'The Crown' - Season 5
Preview
Netflix

The passing of Queen Elizabeth II in September may shift the way we view Netflix’s most regal hit, but expect the drama of The Crown Season 5 to be just as addictive. Since a changing of the cast occurs every two seasons, new faces now portray the House of Windsor during this turbulent 1991-97 period, with Imelda Staunton taking over as the stoic royal.

Joining Staunton in The Crown Season 5 cast are Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Dominic West as Prince (now King) Charles, Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, and former James Bond Timothy Dalton as her returning love Peter Townsend.

Here’s what you’ll see in these three key relationships, as told by the soon-to-debut cast.

Imelda Staunton and Jonathan Pryce in 'The Crown' Season 5'

Netflix

The Queen and Prince Philip

As Elizabeth celebrates the 40th anniversary of her accession, scrutiny only increases. “People were more intrusive into their lives,” says Staunton. As to her husband, costar Pryce says Philip is still “a man locked in a restrictive situation. What must he be thinking?”

Charles and Diana

The unhappy couple’s very public “second honeymoon” we see this season “was an attempt to create a reunification of Diana and Charles,” says Elizabeth Debicki, the show’s new Lady Di. As their bond falters, watch for Diana’s first meeting with future lover Dodi Fayed (Khalid Abdalla), and a scene set for tragedy.

Elizabeth Debicki and Dominic West in 'The Crown'

Netflix

Margaret and Peter Townsend

The Queen’s rambunctious sister (Lesley Manville) reunites with former beau Peter Townsend (Dalton) this season.

“Seeing him again stirs up this vision of what Margaret’s future could have looked like,” says Manville. But she’ll have words for her sister, who halted the relationship decades earlier. “Margaret confronts her and says, ‘Look what you deprived me of!’”

The Crown, Season 5 Premiere, Wednesday, November 9, Netflix