Here's when Season 5 of The Crown could be released - and who will be in the cast

As Season 4 of Netflix’s The Crown comes to a close, bringing the curtain down on yet another nail-biting period of modern Royal history, fans will already be looking ahead to what the next instalment has in store.

New cast members and – perhaps most importantly – new scandalous events for the show to take a dramatic swipe at are in the pipeline, and viewers will no doubt be eager to hear more.

Here is everything you need to know.

What will happen in Season 5?

It is thought that Season 5 of The Crown will take place between the years of 1992 and 2002, a period of time that the Queen described as her “annus horribilis”.

During that time, her sons Princes Charles and Andrew both split from their wives, Princess Diana tragically died (with the Queen drawing public ire over her delayed response), and the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret died within weeks of each other in 2002.

Who will be in it?

To reflect its ageing subjects, The Crown regularly recruits older actors to portray its main characters; Olivia Colman – who portrayed Queen Elizabeth II in Season 4 – will be replaced by Imelda Staunton for Season 5.

At one point, Jim Broadbent was favourite to take over as Prince Phillip, but it's since been confirmed that Oscar-nominated actor Jonathan Pryce will follow in the footsteps of Matt Smith and Tobias Menzies.

It's also been announced that Lesley Manville will play Princess Margaret, taking over from Helena Bonham Carter.