At long last, Netflix has officially announced the premiere date of season 3 of their British royalty drama, The Crown.

Season 3 of The Crown has got fans of the historical drama pretty excited. This is the first season that has swapped out the previous cast for older actors as they journey closer to the present day in the life of Queen Elizabeth II. And finally, after what seemed like an endless hiatus, we have an official release date.

Update 8/12/19: While we had to initially pull the information on The Crown season 3’s premiere date from this article because it hadn’t been officially announced by Netflix yet, the streamer has now officially released the date. Even better, not only do we have a premiere date for season 3, but they’ve announced the new season with a great teaser that gives us a look at Olivia Coleman decked out in her royal best as Queen Elizabeth II.

That’s right, season 3 of The Crown is headed to Netflix on November 17. Season 3 is going to be an intense one with a whole new cast and a new era of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.

Original Article 8/5/19:While seasons 1 and 2 spanned from 1947 to 1964, seasons 3 and 4 will span from 1964 to the late ’70s, where the cast will end their tenure touching on topics like Margaret Thatcher’s premiership and the introduction of Lady Diana Spencer. Obviously, we don’t yet know who will take over the key roles for season 5 and beyond.

But for now, it’s going to be a pretty exciting two seasons, especially as the show inches closer and closer to the modern era. Of course, the big news for seasons 3 and 4 are the new cast members.

Because The Crown spans Queen Elizabeth’s monarchy from her marriage to the present day, the same group of actors can’t play the Queen and the rest of the Royal Family. So while we fell in love with the show when it was led by Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth, Matt Smith as Prince Philip, and Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret, this season will have Olivia Coleman stepping in as the Queen, Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip, and Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret.

It’s a risky move to swap out beloved cast members like this, but so far The Crown has done a great job bringing in an amazing group of talented actors to play the Royal Family. We can’t wait to see what these new actors bring to these roles, and what new challenges will face the Queen as we follow this new season of her reign.

Seasons 1 and 2 of The Crown are currently streaming on Netflix, so you have plenty of time to catch up before the show returns on November 17!