No show has documented the life and times of Queen Elizabeth II quite like The Crown. Since it first hit our screens six years ago, it has been heralded for its dramatisation of the political and personal events that unfolded within the walls of Buckingham Palace, Balmoral and beyond, which shaped Her Majesty's reign over the last 70 years.
While season five of the show has been in production for some time, a source at Netflix has now confirmed that filming of The Crown is being suspended following the death of The Queen on Thursday.
The source today confirmed, "As a mark of respect, filming on The Crown was suspended today. Filming will also be suspended on the day of Her Majesty The Queen’s funeral."
Writer of the Emmy-winning drama, Peter Morgan, describes the series as “a love letter to her," and confirmed that production on the newest season of The Crown will stop filming for "silence and respect" for a period of time.
The highly anticipated new season of the show was expected to premiere in November later this year, starring Imelda Staunton as The Queen, Dominic West as Prince Charles (now King Charles III) and Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana.
Here's everything else we know so far...
What will Netflix do now The Queen has died?
It's likely the platform will mark the passing of the Monarch. The how is questionable. We could see anything from a title card this season expressing condolences at the very start of Episode 1 or even a muted promotional push from Netflix for the new season.
What can we expect from Season 5?
With an all-new cast, the plot has been more mysterious than usual. However, the inclusion of actors playing young Prince William and Prince Harry, tells us the season will hone in on how the royals fared during the tumultuous 90s - which, most importantly, saw the death of Princess Diana in 1997.
Will The Crown touch on Queen Elizabeth II's death?
While The Crown may be a long-time crowned favourite for royalty buffs and beyond, all good things must end. In January 2020, Morgan claimed season five would be the final chapter in the series. He said that he originally planned for six, but once work began on season five, it felt like the right place to stop.
However, it now appears the show will indeed run for six seasons as originally planned.
"As we started to discuss the storylines for series five, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons," Morgan told the Hollywood Reporter, confirming the news alongside Netflix.
However, even with six seasons, the casting of a young Kate and William - recently announced - suggests it will only get as far as William around his university age. Therefore, it's unlikely that the show will get as far as featuring The Queen's death.