Production on 'The Crown' S6 halted following Queen's death

WASHINGTON: 'The Crown', which is a historical drama TV series about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, on Friday, suspended production in honour of the monarch's death.

The news about the production halt was confirmed to Variety by a Netflix source, who told that "as a mark of respect, filming on 'The Crown' was suspended today.

Filming will also be suspended on the day of Her Majesty The Queen's funeral." Variety has also reported that the series is currently in the middle of shooting its sixth and supposedly final season.

Earlier, sources close to creator Peter Morgan had confirmed to the outlet that the hit drama will likely be stopping production on Season 6 following the death of the Queen.

Queen Elizabeth II, who ascended the throne in 1952, was the world's oldest reigning monarch at age 96.

She died surrounded by her family at Balmoral, her palace in the Scottish Highlands, the family announced on Thursday.

Her eldest son, King Charles III, has succeeded her. The monarch's death comes ahead of Season 5's premiere on Netflix in November. It features a new cast.

Imelda Staunton will play Queen Elizabeth, Jonathan Pryce will portray Prince Philip, Dominic West will star as Prince Charles and Elizabeth Debicki stars as Princess Diana.

Olivia Williams has been cast as Camilla Parker Bowles and Jonny Lee Miller will appear as Prime Minister John Major.

Although the details have been kept quiet, the season will seemingly focus on the 1990s, leading up to Diana's death in 1997.

Recently 16-year-old Rufus Kampa as Prince Harry and 21-year-old Ed McVey as Prince William had been cast for the show's season 6, hinting that the season will explore the aftermath of Diana's death and the boys' lives in the early 2000s.

Though Queen Elizabeth II never spoke publicly about 'The Crown', Claire Foy, who played her in 2016's first season of the show, stated one year later that she "would hate the idea of her watching it," as per Variety.