Peter Morgan, the creator of the Emmy-nominated historical drama *The Crown*, recently shared his thoughts on the challenges of producing six seasons of a prestige television show and what the future holds for his storytelling.

Netflix’s *The Crown*, created and written by Peter Morgan, has garnered widespread acclaim and 18 Emmy nominations for its upcoming sixth and final season. Despite all the attention, the British royal family—the central subject of the series—has remained notably silent on the show.

Reflecting on the ambitious scope of *The Crown*, Morgan admitted to being surprised by the difficulty and scale of creating such a long-running series.

He noted how television production has evolved, comparing the work required to create an episode of *The Crown* to his previous films like *Frost/Nixon*, *The Queen*, and *The Last King of Scotland*—all of which were produced with the same attention to detail. The difference, he emphasized, was in scale: “Making 10 episodes per season, and then another season right after, was far more intense than I anticipated,” he explained.

The writing itself, though challenging, was a source of joy for Morgan, which fueled his energy to continue. He had to think ahead, wondering how the series would evolve as it entered the 1990s, particularly given the monumental events of that era. He acknowledged that telling the story of Queen Elizabeth II wouldn’t be complete without addressing the week following Princess Diana’s tragic death—a defining moment of the monarch’s reign, similar in its emotional weight to the 1966 Aberfan mining disaster.

Morgan initially toyed with the idea of exploring the narrative through the eyes of an outsider, such as the Al-Fayed family, whose perspective might have brought a more modern lens to the story. However, Elizabeth Debicki’s portrayal of Diana ultimately became the heart of that narrative. Morgan admitted that while he doesn’t feel ready to tackle the present-day royal family, he might revisit the subject in the future—possibly through historical metaphor, using past events to comment on contemporary issues.

As for the future of television storytelling, Morgan expressed doubt that streaming platforms would readily commit to shows of *The Crown*’s length and complexity, which spanned over 60 episodes. He believes the show’s success was a result of its unique setting and culture, which encouraged everyone involved to put in their best effort. While he’s uncertain if streamers would make such a significant financial investment again, he feels it’s a pity, as such projects are truly “one of a kind.”

In summary, while Morgan seems content with where *The Crown* has concluded for now, his reflections suggest he’s far from finished with the subject of the British monarchy. He may just need to find a different, perhaps more historical, approach to dive back into it.