It turns out that Netflix's hit series "The Crown" didn't end at the end of last year, thanks to the huge success of "Scoop" (also on Netflix, about Prince Andrew's 2019 BBC Newsnight fiasco interview with Emily Maitlis). Based on that, Netflix bosses are planning a new prequel series to The Crown, focusing on former royal playboys, according to Tatler.

A new series of "The Crown" "could be revived as a miniseries or a movie," Tatler wrote. The original series ran for six seasons and seven years, from 2016 to 2023, and this iteration would see bite-sized new episodes, the outlet reports Tatler said the success of "Scoop," which premiered on April 5, is a testament to the British royal family's He stated that it shows that there is still interest in the singular moment.

"If they can repeat that pattern by offering a short prequel, they think they may have come up with a winning formula for a new incarnation of 'The Crown,'" one source said.

The first royal reportedly being considered is Edward VII, aka Bertie, eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and great-grandfather of Elizabeth II. (Edward VII, who ascended the throne in 1901, was embroiled in numerous scandals throughout his life and gained a reputation as a playboy prince, earning him the nickname "Dirty Bertie." (He died at the age of 68 "from health problems caused by heavy smoking," according to Tatler's Magazine.

The early seasons of "The Crown" were critically acclaimed and highly praised, but later seasons drew much controversy over historical accuracy. Tatler reports, "When the sixth season was released in late 2023, some breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the controversial show had run its course." (Dame Judi Dench wrote a letter to The Times in 2022 condemning the show's portrayal of certain people.)

Royal family expert Hugo Vickers wrote in Tatler last year that "no one is happier than he is" that "The Crown" has ended: since 2016, I have forensically broken down the 50 episodes of the first five series for The Times. "I found numerous errors in storylines and timelines. Improbable characters were introduced, and dead people were portrayed as alive. I pointed out these errors, thinking I was spotting that the filmmakers had done a shoddy job of preliminary research and were making silly mistakes. Indeed they were. What I failed to realize was that the truth did not seem to interest them at all. They were only interested in drama, and they got it in many cunning ways."

In particular, Vickers continued, "there was widespread criticism that there was no disclaimer at the beginning of each episode to make it clear that we were watching a fictionalized version of real events." They refused to add it."

The "new" version of the story was not included in the new version of the story.

Whether that will change with the possibility of a new prequel remains to be seen, but fans of The Crown should find the news at least a little hopeful.