Prince Philip has died, but his legacy lives on.
The Duke of Edinburgh lived a long, busy and complicated life next to his wife, the Queen Elizabeth II. While none of us can truly know what it was like to be married to one of the most powerful figures in the world, we can imagine it. We can also watch someone else's heavily researched imagining of it on the Netflix series The Crown, which has so far dramatized almost 50 years of Queen Elizabeth's reign with Philip by her side.
So far, the Duke has been played by Matt Smith and Tobias Menzies, and the show has helped to provide a little context to the private life of the Queen's husband. The series begins with Philip renouncing his Greek and Danish titles in order to marry Elizabeth, and spends quite a bit of time on his struggles to adjust to his role before settling into life as the prince consort.
The show may be, as Prince Harry says, "obviously fiction," but if you're looking for a deep dive into what it's like to be a member of the royal family, there may be no better option.
Of course, it's not strictly accurate, of course not," Harry told James Corden, but loosely it gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle, the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else, what can come from that."
With that ringing endorsement in mind, why not take a look back at Prince Philip's life in the public eye with a few of the most Philip-centric episodes of The Crown?
Season One
Episode One, "Wolferton Splash"
Philip, then known as Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, gives up his titles and takes the Mountbatten name to marry Elizabeth. The first episode includes their 1947 wedding and the births of their two oldest children, and Philip receives counseling from King George VI on his new role next to the future Queen. As George tells him, "She is the job."
Episode Three, "Windsor"
As Elizabeth prepares for her coronation, Philip tries to secure some power of his own. He tries to have Elizabeth ask if their children can keep his recently adopted last name of Mountbatten, and if they can all stay in the family home instead of moving to Buckingham Palace. These requests don't go so well, and neither do Philip's attempts to learn to fly planes.
Episode Five, "Smoke and Mirrors"
Philip plans Elizabeth's coronation, and they clash over a few important details as he asks not to have to kneel before her.
Episode Nine, "Assassins"
Philip starts spending time away from the palace as tensions mount between him and Elizabeth. But, she smooths things over with a declaration of love (before he heads off on his own royal tour in episode 10).
Season Two
Episode Three, "Lisbon"
After months away on a royal tour and a scandal involving a friend's divorce, Philip returns home and asks for his own title. This is when he becomes His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Episode Nine, "Paterfamilias"
Philip recalls his school days as he takes Prince Charles to his alma mater, and relives the death of his pregnant older sister, Cecile.
Episode Ten, "Mystery Man"
Elizabeth thinks Philip is the "mystery man" in a photo taken at a scandalous party, but it all ends with Philip reaffirming his love for Elizabeth in a pretty sweet scene right before Prince Edward is born.
Season Three
Episode Four, "Bubbikins"
"Bubbikins" centers around Princess Alice, Philip's mother. Alice, who is dealing with mental illness, comes to stay at Buckingham Palace and becomes a press sensation when a reporter interviews her, which helps Philip make amends with her. And yes, Bubbikins is Alice's nickname for Philip.
Episode Seven, "Moondust"
Philip is obsessed with the moon landing and sets up a private meeting with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Colins and Buzz Aldrin, but he's disappointed by their boring answers about the moon. Then he finds religion.
Season Four
Episode Three, "Fairytale"
Charles proposes to the future Princess Diana, and all the older royals (including Philip) fuss over the messy situation between Charles, Diana and Camilla.
Episode Four, "Favourites"
Elizabeth and Philip contend with the fact that their children are just a little bit out of their control.
Episode 10, "War"
Charles and Diana's affairs come to a head, and Philip and Diana have a moment of what you might call bonding as he both sympathizes with her and gives her a foreboding warning about what might happen if she tries to end her marriage to Charles. He's been through this before and has some advice to share, even if it's not what she wants to hear.
The Crown will begin production on season five in July, with Game of Thrones star Jonathan Pryce taking over as Prince Philip. You can get the scoop on what to expect from the final two seasons of the Netflix drama by scrolling down!
There are two more seasons to go before the tiaras and tea sets get put away for good (or at least until creator Peter Morgan decides to get them out again). Season five is next, and season six will be the last.
November 2022!
We know that it feels like we've waited forever, but the show has followed its routine production schedule. Season one came out in 2016, followed by season two in 2017. Season three arrived in 2019, season four in 2020, and now there's another break for season five. Morgan explained in an interview with THR that he needs the time off to both shoot and write the next season, since the show films in two-season chunks.
The sixth and final season will likely premiere in 2023.
Seasons five and six will take the royal family into the 21st century, but not too far into it. Nothing super recent will be covered, but since each season tends to span around a decade, it makes sense that the show might end with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012. That would mean William and Kate's 2011 wedding would be featured, but little else from the 2010s.
Elizabeth Debicki will play a slightly older Diana in season five, which will likely cover the '90s from her split from Charles to her death in 1997. She takes over from Emma Corrin, who debuted in season four.
The former Princess of Wales' boyfriend Dodi Fayed will reportedly be played by Khalid Abdalla, per Variety. Dodi's billionaire father, Mohamed Al-Fayed, will also appear in season five, as Oslo actor Salim Daw has been cast in this role.
The entire cast gets replaced every two seasons, so Olivia Colman will pass the torch to Imelda Staunton, who you may know best as Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter.
Game of Thrones star Jonathan Pryce will play Prince Philip in seasons five and six, taking over for Tobias Menzies.
Lesley Manville will follow in the footsteps of Helena Bonham Carter as the new Princess Margaret in seasons five and six.
The Wire and The Affair star Dominic West plays Prince Charles, succeeding Josh O'Connor in the role.
Dominic's own son Senan will play a teenage Prince William in season five.
Jonny Lee Miller has joined The Crown for season five as John Major, the British Prime Minister from 1990 to 1997. Gillian Anderson played previous Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who left office in 1990.
In Sept. 2022, Netflix revealed that two actors will portray a young William in season six: 16-year-old Rufus Kampa and 21-year-old Ed McVey. And 19-year-old Meg Ballamy will play Kate.
Sadly, no. As much as we keep hoping, Morgan said that Harry and Meghan, despite the captivating drama they've added to the world of the royal family, are too recent to cover with any clarity.
"Meghan and Harry are in the middle of their journey, and I don't know what their journey is or how it will end," he told THR. "One wishes some happiness, but I'm much more comfortable writing about things that happened at least 20 years ago. I sort of have in my head a 20-year rule. That is enough time and enough distance to really understand something, to understand its role, to understand its position, to understand its relevance."
Here's hoping for another season in 2040!