Following the Death of Queen Elizabeth II, Fans of 'The Crown' Wonder if Her Passing Will Be Part of the Series

The Crown has been both applauded and criticized for its raw, unflinching depiction of the British Royal Family, seemingly pulling no punches in its characterizations and revelations. The series begins with the final days of King George VI then follows the ascension of his daughter Queen Elizabeth II and goes into her time as monarch of Britain.

Sadly, the Queen passed away on Sept. 8, 2022, and as Season 5 of the series approaches, fans of The Crown are wondering how this will be handled on the show. It's possible it won't be addressed at all. Will the Queen's death be in The Crown? Here's what we know thus far.

According to Vogue, the last season of The Crown will span all of the 1990s, going into the early 2000s. Originally, the show was slated to end with Season 5 but it was decided to split Season 5 into two seasons to include as much detail as possible. Because the Queen died in 2022, it stands to reason her death will not be included in the show.

When the Queen's death was announced in September 2022, Netflix told The Hill that production of The Crown was temporarily paused.

"Filming will also be suspended on the day of Her Majesty The Queen’s funeral," the streaming service told the outlet. Creator and showrunner Peter Morgan also said "The Crown is a love letter to her and I’ve nothing to add for now, just silence and respect," via Deadline.

The 1990s were a turbulent time for the British Monarchy. As we begin Season 5, Queen Elizabeth is 65 years old and has held her position as Queen of England for nearly four decades. Margaret Thatcher's successor, John Major, will prove to be ineffective — but anyone who knows anything about the Royal Family knows that this time is all about Charles and Diana. Gone are the days of Winston Churchill's passionate speeches about defending humanity. The family is crumbling.

We're about to get all the fictionalized and semi-true (true?) details surrounding Prince Charles's marriage to Diana Spencer. The Crown is also dipping into Charles's affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, who is currently the Queen Consort to his King. We even get a reenactment of the now-infamous phone call between Charles and Camilla, in which he wished he could be her tampon. (Did Adam Levine teach him how to sext?)

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, actor Dominic West (who plays Charles in Season 5 of The Crown) briefly touched upon filming that scene.

"Looking back on it, and having to play it, what you're conscious of is that the blame was not with these two people, two lovers, who were having a private conversation," said Dominic. "What's really [clear now] is how invasive and disgusting was the press's attention to it, that they printed it out verbatim and you could call a number and listen to the actual tape. I think it made me extremely sympathetic towards the two of them and what they'd gone through."

Season 5 will reportedly take us through the divorce of Charles and Diana and before you ask, yes — the Revenge Dress will have a starring role.

Unfortunately, this season will end with the car crash that killed Diana along with her boyfriend Dodi Fayed and their driver Henri Paul on August 31, 1997. (In a statement to The Sun, Netflix said "the exact moment of the crash impact will not be shown.")

Season 5 won't be an easy watch, but The Crown always does an incredible job with its subjects — unlike some monarchies.