How Did ‘The Crown’ End Queen Elizabeth II’s Story? Those Returns, Explained

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for The Crown Season 6, Part 2, Episode 10, “Sleep, Dearie Sleep.”]

The Crown came to a rather anticlimactic conclusion in its final Season 6 episodes with Queen Elizabeth II’s (Imelda Staunton) journey.

In the finale episode, “Sleep, Dearie Sleep,” Queen Elizabeth II approves the engagement of her son Prince Charles (Dominic West) and Camilla (Olivia Williams) and faces the reality of preparing for her future funeral at the behest of Prince Philip (Jonathan Pryce), who is finalizing his plans. This realization leads to a bout of self-reflection for the Queen, who is deciding if it’s best to step down and hand over the Crown or remain in her position.

(Credit: Netflix)

Helping sort out the choice are her inner voices, or rather, outward manifestations of herself in the form of Claire Foy and Olivia Colman, who step back into their portrayals of the monarch to guide her decision. While Elizabeth is really considering hanging up her hat, these past versions of herself remind her of the promise she made when she took up the role of Queen.

As she prepares to give a speech following Charles and Camilla’s ceremony, Elizabeth ultimately decides to forgo giving the full speech and continues to hold onto her position, rather than resigning. Perhaps it’s one of her past selves that convinces her, by saying she’s still in her prime on the brink of 80, or maybe it’s Philip.

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Approaching her during a quiet moment, Philip hears her question aloud if it’s better to hand off the Crown, but he disagrees when she points out how young she was taking up the station. “You were born ready,” Philip tells her, noting that she’s “one of a kind” and that they’re a “dying breed.”

The system, he points out, makes no sense anymore to anyone within it and outside of it, but that won’t be their problem when they’re gone. You can feel the show’s creator Peter Morgan taking some dramatic liberties here as Philip further suggests that the future of the royal family is filled with unoriginal individuals ill-equipped to deal with the positions they’ve been dealt.

Sitting with those words ringing in her head, Elizabeth visualizes her own coffin with the Crown and scepter sitting upon it. She is flanked by her past selves, peering into the future, which would see her reign until the age of 96.

Without any additional scenes, viewers are left with the closing shot of Elizabeth walking out of a long corridor from the room she’d been standing in with Philip. It’s certainly symbolic, but it feels a little underwhelming for a reign as large as Elizabeth’s both in real-life and onscreen in this acclaimed drama.

What did you think of the ending? Let us know in the comments section, below.

The Crown, Seasons 1-6, Streaming now, Netflix