The Crown Producers Have a Plan in Case the Queen Dies During Filming
Any royal fan worth their salt knows what Operation London Bridge is. First put into place way back in the 1960s, this is the sprawling and intricate plan for what will happen in the United Kingdom on the day Queen Elizabeth II dies. The phrase "London Bridge is down” will be used to communicate the news over secure lines, and once the monarch's passing is confirmed, a huge web of institutions will spring into action, from parliament to the London Metropolitan Police to the British press.
Given that the queen is now 96 years old, and the second longest reigning monarch in world history, it's no surprise that these plans are in place. But what's somewhat more surprising is the revelation that the producers of The Crown have their own version of Operation London Bridge.
Filming on the sixth and final season of Netflix's royal drama will begin later this summer. But if the Queen happens to pass away before production is complete, Peter Morgan and his fellow producers have a plan for how to proceed. According to the New York Post, a "series insider" revealed that filming would be shut down immediately upon news of Queen Elizabeth's death, and "there would also be lots of discussion about when to restart.”
Season five of The Crown will launch on Netflix this November, and will see Imelda Staunton take over the central role from Olivia Colman. The season will cover events throughout the 1990s, and will likely focus heavily on 1992, which Queen Elizabeth famously dubbed her "annus horribilis" (horrible year). Three royal marriages broke down during that year: Prince Charles and Diana, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, and Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips.
It's unclear when season six will be released, but it appears that Diana's death will be a focal point. Dominic West, who will take over the role of Prince Charles, told Deadline that season six will be "as tumultuous as it gets," in depicting the fallout from her fatal car crash in 1997. We also know, thanks to a Netflix casting call, that the teenage Prince William, Prince Harry, and Kate Middleton will all feature in the final season—and that the series may wrap up on the 2005 wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles.
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