The Crown's Finale: A Brilliant Revival of Tragic King George Quote

Claire Foy's Elizabeth Windsor Quote

The series finale of The Crown brought back Claire Foy as young Queen Elizabeth, and her Elizabeth Windsor quote calls back to a brutal King George line from the beginning of the show. The Netflix historical drama The Crown, created by Peter Morgan, premiered in 2016, and it followed the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II over six seasons. The show's timeline concluded almost two decades before the present day, and The Crown's series ending brought the show full circle with some season 1 callbacks.

Younger Queen Elizabeth (Claire Foy) looking down behind older Queen Elizabeth (Imelda Staunton) in The Crown finale

The show began in 1947 with Queen Elizabeth II's wedding to Prince Phillip, and The Crown's timeline covered almost 60 years of history before ending in 2005. To make the passage of time more accurate, The Crown changed its main actors frequently to keep up with the ages of the real people it portrayed. Claire Foy and Olivia Colman had a cameo in The Crown finale, as they both previously played Queen Elizabeth II, and one line delivered by Foy's Elizabeth perfectly sums up what made the historical drama's storytelling and themes so compelling.

Younger Queen Elizabeth (Claire Foy) looking sad in The Crown finale

One quote from the finale brings The Crown back to season 1 and the legacy of King George, Elizabeth's father and predecessor. Claire Foy's cameo plays a vital role with the poignant line, 'If you went looking for Elizabeth Windsor, you wouldn't find her... you buried her years ago,' as she reminded Imelda Staunton's Elizabeth of the sacrifices she made for the monarchy. The quote calls back to a King George VI line from season 1, episode 2, 'Hyde Park Corner.' When Anthony Eden asked George to talk to Winston Churchill not as King, but as Albert, he replied, 'I no longer am Albert Windsor. That person was murdered by his older brother when he abdicated.'

Younger Queen Elizabeth (Claire Foy) standing behind older Queen Elizabeth (Imelda Staunton) in The Crown finale

As the season 6 finale brings the show back to its basics, seven years later, it's also interesting to note how the two quotes are very similar, yet different. Neither George nor Elizabeth were supposed to be monarchs, yet their views on the matter were completely different. King George blamed his brother, Edward VIII, for abdicating, which led to him losing himself as a person to become king. Meanwhile, Elizabeth acknowledged that she willingly buried herself to become a better queen. Foy's Elizabeth adds that the monarchy doesn't give the luxury of choice and that it came more naturally to her than her other family members, which also included her father.

King George VI (Jared Harris) talking in The Crown season 1 episode 2

The Final Scene's Queen Elizabeth Foreshadowing

The final scenes of The Crown bring the show full circle even further. Although the finale's events conclude in 2005, approximately 17 years before the Queen's death, creator Peter Morgan re-wrote The Crown's ending after Queen Elizabeth died in 2022. This way, it includes details that foreshadow Elizabeth's real funeral – her coffin, the piper song, and the scaled-down model of her funeral procession. The finale, foreshadowing her death, also mirrors the pilot, which began with King George VI's illness, hinting at his death and Queen Elizabeth's future reign. The Crown's series finale proves the show succeeded in following Queen Elizabeth's accession to the throne, reign, and, ultimately, her death.

Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth looks at the crown on her coffin in The Crown finale