The Crown prequel—what could the rumored Netflix prequel series focus on? From suffragettes to the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson

The Crown has proven to be one of the most popular original series to have come from Netflix, and the streaming giant is planning its next steps when the original series comes to an end.

We already know that The Crown will end soon. Show creator Peter Morgan confirmed that the series will end with seasons five and six, taking the royal family into the early 2000s.

Well, to look forward show bosses are looking backwards, with the latest rumors being the next steps for the show will be prequel seasons.

Late last week, the Daily Mail reported that Netflix is planning for a show that might take the story back to the Victorian era. Deadline later confirmed the report, but added that talks between Crown producer Left Bank and Netflix are only preliminary.

A source told the newspaper, “This is a bit like Star Wars where the opportunity is to extend the franchise by dipping into history. It is going to start with the death of Queen Victoria and will run up to around about where The Crown began, which was with the wedding of the Queen in 1947.”

If Netflix do want to look at historical figures and moments that bring us to where The Crown starts, with the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II to Prince Philip in 1947, what (and who) might the shows be about?

Queen Victoria’s death and the ascension of Edward VII

After Queen Victoria passed in 1901, her son Edward VII took the throne. Edward VII could make an interesting subject for The Crown prequel as he was a notorious womanizer.

This time period also saw eight out of Queen Victoria’s nine children married off to royal families across Europe, and the spread of haemophilia through family blood lines, including with Victoria’s son Prince Leopold.

Introducing the House of Windsor

In 1910, George V ascended to the throne after the death of Edward VII.

This time period could provide endless hours of bingeable content for The Crown fans as King George V’s reign saw a tremendous run of historical events.

From the beginnings of anti-German sentiment in the country leading up to the First World War to the rise of socialism, Irish republicanism, ramifications of the British Empire, and the sinking of the Titanic, there’s a plethora of moments to pick from.

It was during King George V’s reign that the royal house switched names, too. Because of the growing hostilities between Germany and the nation, King George changed the name to the House of Windsor from the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Suffragettes and getting women the vote

It was also during King George V’s reign that the women’s suffragette movement was born.

Most famously, Emily Wilding Davison made headlines around the world when she ran out in front of King George V's horse at the Epsom Derby in 1913.

The trailblazer died four days later but has been remembered as the pioneer who lost her life while trying to secure the vote for women.

Spanish Influenza pandemic of 1918-19

King George V’s reign coincided with the outbreak of a pandemic which claimed over 50 million lives.

Spanish Flu was a devastating pandemic that first hit British shores in May 1918.

The parallels to the coronavirus pandemic make it highly likely this will feature in any prequel season.

The Duke of Windsor, Wallis Simpson and the abdication

This will likely feature at some point in the prequel seasons as it leads directly to the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth becoming, well, Queen Elizabeth II.

Without the abdication of Edward VIII, his brother George VI never would’ve become King, and his daughter, Elizabeth, wouldn’t have become Queen.

Edward VIII, also known as the Duke of Windsor, is a controversial figure in British history as he was a known Nazi sympathiser. Some historians have gone as far as accusing the Duke of Windsor of plotting against England during the Second World War.

Though Edward VIII has appeared in The Crown, the story of him sacrificing the throne to marry Wallis Simpson has yet to be told, and historians agree he was a known cad before settling down with Wallis.

Sounds like deliciously scandalous fodder for any prequel seasons.