The cast and makers of the sixth and final season of Netflix’s royal drama, The Crown, including Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki, have united in London to bid farewell to the series.

Just days before the very final episodes of the long-running series drop, stars of the current season – and a few past cast members – gathered at Royal Festival Hall for a glittered celebration of the upcoming finale.

Debicki, who plays Princess Diana, stunned in a floor-length embellished Dior gown; Salim Daw, who plays Mohamed Al-Fayed, went for a green velvet jacket, while Marcia Warren, who plays Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, carried a purse in the shape of a crown.

“Mixed emotions,” said creator Peter Morgan of it all coming to an end.

Tweet from @molllyelizabeth

Launched in 2016, the Emmy award-winning series tells the story of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s reign against the backdrop of decades of royal dramas.

It culminates in the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, the future of the monarchy with her son Prince William and wife Catherine, and the death of Elizabeth last year.

“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.

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

The first four episodes of the sixth and final series, focusing on Princess Diana’s last days in 1997, were released in November. The second part will drop on December 14.

When we left off at the end of part one, the royal family was navigating the aftermath of the sudden deaths of Diana (Debicki) and boyfriend Dodi Fayed (Khalid Abdalla) after their car crash in Paris.

Picking up a few months after the tragedy, part two brings Prince William and Prince Harry growing up.

The former (played by newcomer Ed McVey) is pursuing his studies at Scotland’s University of St Andrews. There, he meets fellow student Kate Middleton (Meg Bellamy).

There’s also Elizabeth’s golden jubilee, and the relationship of then Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles (now the King and Queen).

The series ends in 2005 with Charles and Camilla’s wedding, according to Town and Country Magazine.

Meg Bellamy as Kate Middleton. Photo: Netflix

‘A real privilege’

Imelda Staunton and Dominic West reprise their roles as Elizabeth and Charles, with McVey and Bellamy as William and Kate.

Bellamy told Netflix it was “a real privilege, for sure, and such a pleasure” to join the cast of the acclaimed series.

“I’ve always been a fan of the show, so to be part of it is pretty crazy, and it’s nice to finally be celebrating it,” she said.

McVey, another Crown fan, added: “I think just to be a part of the show is just amazing in any capacity. It was fantastic.”

Elizabeth, who died in September 2022 while the season was being filmed, is at the heart of the final episodes.

“Imelda and I were filming together on the day she passed, so very difficult,” said Lesley Manville, who plays Elizabeth’s sister Princess Margaret.

“It affected us in the same way that it did the whole of the country.

“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.

Morgan acknowledged “the audience will be the judge of that, but I hope we’ve done her memory justice”.

Added Staunton: “I felt like everyone, her whole life, was sitting on her shoulders, and I think that’s what people feel when they met her – that you’re looking at history,” she said.

“The monarch is a thing. Royalty is a thing, and to remain as dignified as she was was an extraordinary feat.”

Olivia Williams and Dominic West also graced the red carpet for the finale. Photo: Netflix

“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,” West said.

“Be prepared to cry,” added Olivia Williams, who plays Camilla.

“Bring the tissues.”