Who Is the Prime Minister on 'The Crown' Season 5? Learn About Margaret Thatcher's Successor

Netflix’s hit series The Crown has grabbed the attention of British royal family enthusiasts from the very beginning. The series tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II's personal and professional life during her reign. Naturally, the series highlights various events such as the Queen's marriage to Prince Charles, the events leading up to Princess Diana’s passing, Princess Diana protecting her sons, and more.

Now that Season 5 is upon us, the show has introduced many new characters, including a prime minister. And since Margaret Thatcher was the prime minister for quite some time, viewers are wondering who will be her successor. So, who is the new prime minister? Here’s what we know.

Hear ye, hear ye! It appears that Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson) is out as prime minister and Sir John Major (Jonny Lee Miller) is in. Fans that have kept up with the season have commented about the vast differences between John and his predecessor. Many subscribers believe that Margaret was sterner and that John comes off as very passive.

In contrast to Margaret, John can be considered a monarchist who was all about serving as an aide to the royal family and their crises.

Unfortunately, John Major had a lot of things to say about his portrayal in the hit series. In an October 2022 interview with The Daily Mail, John unloaded about the show being a “barrel load of malicious nonsense.”

Interestingly, other sources close to Prince Charles and John are aligned and claim that the show should be “boycotted.”

“All the one-to-one conversations you see on screen are utter fiction, and some scenes have been entirely created for dramatic and commercial purposes with little regard for the truth. People should be boycotting it,” a source told the publication.

So, it’s safe to say that the royals and close confidantes will not be giving Netflix a thumbs-up for the series anytime soon.

Unfortunately, John Major was also given the boot from being prime minister after seven years of service. In the Spring 1997 election in the series, he was defeated by Sir Tony Blair — portrayed by Bertie Carvel.

Interestingly, John didn't have any bad blood toward Tony. In fact, John left a note for Tony in his new office saying, “It’s a great job. Enjoy it.“

Throughout Tony’s reign, he had some issues with members of the royal family in regard to funding and other projects. However, Tony and Prince Charles were often able to see eye-to-eye.

Sir Tony Blair went on to serve as prime minister from 1997 to 2007.

Tune into Netflix to stream all current seasons of The Crown.