Mixed emotions as cast of 'The Crown' celebrates series finale

By Hanna Rantala

LONDON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The cast and the makers of the sixth and final season of Netflix's royal drama "The Crown" came together in London on Tuesday to bid farewell to the series.

The Emmy-winning show, created by Peter Morgan and launched in 2016, tells the story of Britain's late Queen Elizabeth’s reign against the backdrop of various royal dramas.

"Mixed emotions. On the one hand it's been a lot of work, so I'm tired. But on the other hand, it's been a family that I've lived with now and worked with for 10 years," Morgan said as he walked the red carpet at London's Royal Festival Hall.

"I've loved how the show has gone down around the world. So as an artist, you miss that."

The second part of the final season starts streaming on Dec. 14. Its first four episodes, focusing on Princess Diana's final days in 1997, were released in November and Part Two is made up of six episodes. Actors Imelda Staunton and Dominic West reprise their roles as Elizabeth and Charles, with Ed McVey and Meg Bellamy taking on the roles of William and Kate.

The Queen, who died in Sept. 2022, while the season was being filmed, is at the heart of the final episodes, the show's makers said.

"Imelda and I were filming together on the day she passed, so very difficult. It affected us in the same way that it did the whole of the country," said Lesley Manville, who plays Princess Margaret.

"We had to incorporate into the show something that we never wanted to incorporate, which is at some level we had to address the issue of the Queen passing. The audience will be the judge of that, but I hope we've done her memory justice," said Morgan.

Part Two picks up some months after Princess Diana's death, with the royal family reeling from the tragedy. In happier scenes, it sees William starting university and meeting his future wife, Kate, and Charles marrying Camilla.

"You see a lot of emphasis on William and Harry and the younger generation coming up so that the crown is seen as the next people who are going to wear it coming up. And that should be really interesting," said West.

"Be prepared to cry. Bring the tissues," added Olivia Wiliams, who plays Camilla. (Reporting by Hanna Rantala; Editing by David Gregorio)