The wildly popular Netflix Original series <em>The Crown</em> follows the young Queen Elizabeth II from the 1940s through to modern times. The first two series starred Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth and Matt Smith as Prince Philip, while the third and fourth series spanned the years 1964–1990 with Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies at the helm. The fifth series, which lands on Netflix on 9 November, covers the royals in the 1990s. Here we explore the real history behind the show...

The Crown (© Netflix, Robert Viglasky)

Sign up for the weekly HistoryExtra newsletter

Thatcher holds up two shopping bags to show how much less a pound would buy due to inflation under Labour. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Are we still living in Thatcher’s Britain?

thatcherv525-4e54714

What is the nature of Margaret Thatcher's legacy?

Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor, sits with his wife, Wallis Simpson, at the Chateau de Cands in France, 1937. (Photo by Bettmann via Getty Images)

Edward VIII: Nazi sympathiser, playboy prince or peace-loving reformer?

Screen Shot 2018-05-21 at 12.04.02

3 of the most famous royal weddings in history

The future Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Buckingham Palace following their wedding, 20 November 1947. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Royal wedding traditions through history: etiquette, menus and the dress code

Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix drama ‘The Crown’. (© Netflix)

The real history behind ‘The Crown’ with Robert Lacey

Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin stands beside an American flag, soon after landing on the Moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission. (Photo by NASA/Liaison)

Was the Moon landing really a great leap for mankind?

The Prince of Wales loading a rifle in the Grenadiers, First World War, 1914. (Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

Edward VIII: How war scarred the playboy prince

podcast-logo_v4_64-e3949fa

The Aberfan disaster and women who made history

Tony Blair asks permission of Queen Elizabeth II to form a government

Elizabeth II and her prime ministers

Queen Elizabeth II in a garden with one of her dogs, March 1953. (Photo by Bettmann via Getty Images)

Elizabeth II: the queen who saved the royals

When Victoria wed, she wore white so the crowds could see her from afar. (Leemage/Corbis via Getty Images)

The A to Z of royal weddings with Tracy Borman

The Crown

The Crown

Are we still living in Thatcher’s Britain?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

What is the nature of Margaret Thatcher's legacy?

Edward VIII: Nazi sympathiser, playboy prince or peace-loving reformer?

3 of the most famous royal weddings in history

Royal wedding traditions through history: etiquette, menus and the dress code. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The real history behind ‘The Crown’ with Robert Lacey. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

OpinionWas the Moon landing really a great leap for mankind?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Edward VIII: How war scarred the playboy prince. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Aberfan disaster and women who made history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Elizabeth II and her prime ministers. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Elizabeth II: the queen who saved the royals. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The A to Z of royal weddings with Tracy Borman. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.