According to a new glimpse of season 6, will turn back time to Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret ‘s epic night out.
On Friday, Netflix released a new trailer and images of The Crown season 6, part 2, which debuts on Dec. 14 and will conclude the series. For the first time since the drama inspired by the lives of the British royal family premiered in 2016, the streamer split the season into two installments. Part 1 dropped on Nov. 16 and focused on Princess Diana ‘s final days before her death in 1997, while part 2 is expected to take the show into the early 2000s and conclude multiple storylines — with at least one epic flashback.
On May 8, 1945, celebrations erupted across Great Britain and the United States after Germany surrendered to the Allied Powers, marking the start of the end of World War II. Crowds rushed the streets of London, and members of the royal family — King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, then-Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret — appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
It’s a little-known fact that Elizabeth, then 19, and Margaret, then 14, later left the palace incognito to join the celebrations! Years later, Queen Elizabeth called it “ one of the most memorable nights of my life.”
A still photo from The Crown’s final installment shows then-Princess Elizabeth (played by Viola Prettejohn) and Princess Margaret (played by Beau Gadsdon) smirking outdoors, with two military officers behind them. The actresses wore the same outfits that cameras caught them filming in last year: a pink dress and sweater for Margaret and an army green military uniform and hat for Elizabeth. During WWII, the future Queen Elizabeth served in a reserve unit and was also named Colonel of the Grenadier Guards.
While no photos from Elizabeth and Margaret’s VE Day adventure are known to exist, the princesses received permission from their parents to go out and were escorted by a group of guards, The Independent reported.
In 2015, Buckingham Palace released a recording of the Queen’s recollection of VE Day on its 70th anniversary. The Queen previously made the comments in 1985.
After waving to the crowds gathered in front of the balcony at the palace “every hour,” Elizabeth and Margaret slipped out to experience the ebullience of the people who were celebrating all over London.
Recalling the ruckus, Queen Elizabeth said, “We cheered the King and Queen on the balcony and then walked miles through the street. I remember lines of unknown people linking arms and walking down Whitehall, all of us just swept along on a tide of happiness and relief.”
On Friday, The Crown ‘s latest trailer imagined what might have happened.
The quick clip opens with the royal family posing for a stoic group photo and later flashes to an older Princess Margaret (played by Lesley Manville) looking at Queen Elizabeth (Imelda Staunton) with love as she raises a glass of champagne before a crowd.
“I will always be by your side,” Manville says in an emotional voiceover. The trailer then flashed back to the royal sisters as teenagers (played by Prettejohn and Gadsdon) sharing a hug on what appears to be VE Day.
Netflix also dropped key art for the part 2 debut, which hints at the stories set to unfold. One image depicts Queen Elizabeth (Staunton) from behind, looking out at the balcony of Buckingham Palace with some of her family members around her. Princess Margaret (Manville), Jonathan Pryce ( Prince Philip) and Dominic West (then- Prince Charles) all gaze out onto the balcony, while Prince William (Ed McVey) looks at his father.
Another poster shows Prince William (McVey) smiling in a suit — with someone special beside him! Kate Middleton (Meg Bellamy) hugs his arm and gives a loving look.
The Crown season 6, part 1, is now streaming on Netflix. The Emmy Award-winning series will make its final curtsy with the part 2 debut on Dec. 14.
