Will there be a prequel to The Crown? Latest speculation explained
A new report suggests the show could dive into the royal family's past, dramatising the reign of King Edward VII.
It's been a number of months now since the sixth season of The Crown dropped its final batch of episodes on Netflix, and still reports swirl that the series could return in some format.
While no one is expecting the show to come back for a seventh season imminently, one which would carry on the story of the royal family into the 2010s and 2020s, there have been rumours for some time that the show could instead receive prequel seasons, telling stories from their past, before Elizabeth II's ascension.
Now, a new report has got everyone talking once more - but is the show returning for new prequel seasons, and what would they be about?
Read on for everything you need to know about the prequel rumours surrounding The Crown.
What is the latest speculation surrounding a prequel to The Crown?
On Monday 6th May 2024, The Sun reported that Netflix is looking at producing "bite-sized helpings" of The Crown spin-offs and prequels, either in the format of movies or miniseries.
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This decision is said to have been spurred on by the success of the streamer's film Scoop, which dramatised the lead-up to Prince Andrew's 2019 Newsnight interview.
A TV insider reportedly told the publication: "The consensus was that the royal drama seemed to wane the closer it came to modern day and retelling multiple stories that so many were familiar with.
"But Scoop showed that rather than doing this in a drawn-out, 10-part series, focusing instead on one moment in time seemed to hook people.
"If they can repeat that pattern by delivering prequels in a shorter form, they believe they may have come up with a winning formula for a new incarnation of The Crown."
The report went on to suggest that the first offering would focus on the reign of Edward VII, who was on the throne between 1901 and 1910.
When approached by RadioTimes.com regarding the report, Netflix declined to comment, leaving it uncertain as to whether the report is accurate or whether it will come to anything.
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What has been said previously about The Crown spin-offs?
This isn't the first time that The Sun has reported on Netflix's future plans for the show, with the publication having previously suggested the show could return in the form of a "movie, or perhaps a series of specials".
The publication also reported at the end of 2023 that The Cown's creators were planning a series featuring "raunchy royal stories".
At the time of The Sun's first report, RadioTimes.com understood that it was purely speculation and there were no concrete plans in place regarding any future spin-offs.
For his own part, The Crown's creator Peter Morgan has said that he does have "an idea" for a prequel/spin-off, but that he needs to "do some other things" first, and that it would need "a unique set of circumstances to come together".
Netflix boss Ted Sarandos said in the same interview: "I have absolute faith in Peter. And if he believes there are stories to be told there, we definitely would explore it."
The writer also told Deadline that he's "too old to never say never, but certainly in the short term the word palace will not be appearing in anything I write" - suggesting that if a prequel or spin-off were to involve the show's original creator, it may be a while until we see it.
The Crown is available to stream in full on Netflix now. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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