The first trailer for Netflix’s upcoming regal drama, The Crown, was released earlier this week, teasing the world with an intriguing look inside the royal life of Queen Elizabeth II.
The four-minute trailer premiered on 6 January, and has already been viewed 167,000 times. The trailer opens on a scene of Queen Elizabeth wearing St. Edward’s Crown at Buckingham Palace, watched by her young children Prince Charles and Princess Anne, testing out the weight of the crown, and from there, glimpses of well-known royal history abound.
The abdication of Edward VIII in 1936 for the love of his life, Wallis Simpson, the future Duchess of Windsor is shown, to the ire of the rest of the royal family. Princess Margaret’s illicit and ill-fated romance with Captain Peter Townsend is juxtaposed with her sister’s wedding in 1947, with Margaret noting that Elizabeth “dug in her heels.”
Once the Queen ascends the throne, the behind-the-scenes sway of Prime Minister Winston Churchill on the young monarch is shown, as are the problems this relationship created; but perhaps most notably featured is the confusing role Prince Philip found himself in once his wife ascended the throne in 1952, wanting his wife, not his queen.
The Crown stars Claire Foy, who recently portrayed Anne Boleyn in Wolf Hall, as Queen Elizabeth II and Matt Smith, most popularly known as The Doctor in Doctor Who, as her husband, Prince Philip.
Rounding out the cast is Jared Harris as King George VI, Victoria Hamilton as The Queen Mother, Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret, John Lithgow as Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Dame Eileen Atkins as Queen Mary.
The series is directed by Stephen Daldry and is written by Peter Morgan, the screenwriter and playwright behind the smash 2006 film The Queen, and last year’s successful Broadway play, The Audience, both focusing on Queen Elizabeth II and both starring Dame Helen Mirren.
The Crown debuts later this year on Netflix, and is the most expensive original series from the company to date. A reported $156 million was spent on the 10-part series.