Netflix unveils release date for 'The Crown' Season 6, along with finale's plot

On Monday, Netflix announced that the sixth and final season of the hit drama based on the lives of the royals will premiere in two parts this fall. Part 1 will launch on Thursday, 16 November and Part 2 will follow on Thursday, 14 December — the first time the series has been split into multiple installments.

The streamer also shared a new clip teasing what's to come. The video showed a glimpse of a lavish sitting room as a clock ticked ominously, with the voices of Claire Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton playing over it. The Crown cast has changed every two seasons to reflect the characters ageing through the decades, and the role of Queen Elizabeth passed between the three actresses. The teaser captured the passage of time by filming the stars walking through a grand royal residence.

"The crown is a symbol of permeance. It's something you are, not what you do," Foy said, as a TV showed footage of her in character. She first starred as the monarch in seasons 1 and 2 of The Crown, and played a young Queen Elizabeth. "Some portion of our natural selves is always lost. We have all made sacrifices. It is not a choice. It is a duty," Colman echoed. The video cut to a framed photo of her in character as the sovereign, who she played in seasons 3 and 4.

The clip then switched to Staunton in costume, quietly holding her hands before stepping out onto a Buckingham Palace-like balcony to greet a cheering crowd. "But what about the life, I put aside? The wouldn't — I put aside?" Staunton's voice wondered.

The BAFTA Award winner and Academy Award nominee made her debut as Queen Elizabeth in season 5 of The Crown and will close the saga in the upcoming season 6.

Netflix also revealed that the sixth season will cover events from 1997 to 2005. Part 1 will feature Elizabeth Debicki returning as Princess Diana, Dominic West playing now-King Charles, Jonathan Pryce reprising his role as Prince Philip, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret and Staunton starring as Queen Elizabeth. Salim Daw and Khalid Abdalla are also back as Mohamed Al Fayed and Dodi Fayed, and Part 1 will introduce Rufus Kampa and Fflyn Edwards as young Prince William and Prince Harry.

The first four episodes of Part 1 will follow the relationship between Diana and Dodi before the fatal car crash in Paris in 1997.

PEOPLE previously confirmed that the moment of impact will be excluded from The Crown. Four weeks later, Part 2 will hit queues and be told in six episodes.

The Crown will imagine a young William settling back in at Eton following his mother's death as the monarchy navigates a turbulent time in the public eye. Meanwhile, an aging Queen mulls the future of the monarchy with the marriage of Charles and now-Queen Camilla as well as the destiny ahead for Prince William and Kate Middleton.

The final casting change of The Crown will also light up the small screen in Part 2 of season 6. Ed McVey will play Prince William opposite Luther Ford as Prince Harry, while Meg Bellamy steps into the spotlight as Kate.

The streamer also dropped two striking visuals with the premiere news. The first poster shows Debicki in character, looking over her shoulder in a swimsuit on Mohamed's yacht, and the second spotlights Staunton walking alone towards a bright beam of light. While the fifth season was originally intended to be the show's last, Netflix announced that the series would be extended to season 6 in 2020.

"As we started to discuss the storylines for Series 5, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons," creator Peter Morgan previously said in a statement.

The Crown takes its final bows on 16 November and 14 December.