The Crown' to end after season five with Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth

Netflix's critically-acclaimed royal drama "The Crown" will conclude after its fifth season with veteran actor Imelda Staunton being confirmed to portray Queen Elizabeth II. According to The Hollywood Reporter, series creator and showrunner Peter Morgan said though he originally envisioned the show to run for six seasons, he now believes five is the "perfect time and place to stop".

"At the outset I had imagined The Crown' running for six seasons but now that we have begun work on the stories for season five it has become clear to me that this is the perfect time and place to stop," Morgan said in a statement. "I'm grateful to Netflix and Sony for supporting me in this decision," he added.

Staunton, best known for playing Dolores Umbridge in the "Harry Potter" series, will replace Oscar winner Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II for the fifth season. Colman, who took over the part from Claire Foy after the first two seasons, made her debut as the Royal Queen with the third season in November last year. She is set to appear in the show's fourth season which is expected to premiere later this year. But unlike her two predecessors, Staunton will get to play the part for only one season.

"I have loved watching 'The Crown' from the very start. As an actor it was a joy to see how both Claire Foy and Olivia Colman brought something special and unique to Peter Morgan's scripts. "I am genuinely honoured to be joining such an exceptional creative team and to be taking The Crown' to its conclusion," the 64-year-old actor said.

(image credits: AP)