A royal shout-out. Succession creator Jesse Armstrong joked about recent “successions” while accepting the biggest award of the night at the 2022 Emmys.
“Big week for successions,” the producer, 51, said after winning the trophy for Outstanding Drama Series at the awards show on Monday, September 12. “New king in the U.K. This for us. Evidently, a little bit more voting involved in our winning than Prince Charles.”
Brian Cox, who plays Logan Roy on the HBO drama, chimed in with his own joke, adding: “Keep it royalist, keep it royalist.”
Before thanking members of the cast and crew, Armstrong got in one more quip about the new king, 73, saying: “I’m not saying we’re more legitimate in our position than he is. We’ll leave that to other people.”
Charles became king last week following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who died on Thursday, September 8, at her Balmoral estate in Scotland. She was 96. Buckingham Palace announced the news hours after revealing that the queen had been placed under medical supervision.
Though Charles immediately assumed the throne after his mother’s passing, his coronation may not take place for some time. He was officially proclaimed the new monarch on Saturday, September 10.
“It is my most sorrowful duty to announce you to the death of my beloved mother, the queen,” the former Prince of Wales, 73, said while addressing the accession council at St James’s Palace. “I know how deeply you, the entire nation — and I think I may say the whole world — sympathize with me in the irreparable loss we have all suffered.”
While the Emmys is an American awards show, the royal family is the subject of one of the most successful series in recent Emmy history: The Crown. The Netflix drama has won 21 Emmys since it premiered in 2016, scooping up awards in categories including Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series.
In 2021, it became the first show to sweep all of the major drama categories, earning trophies for Outstanding Drama Series, lead actor, lead actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, directing and writing.
“I’d have put money on that not happening,” Olivia Colman said during her acceptance speech for the best actress award. “I don’t know what to say. This is amazing. What a lovely end to the most extraordinary journey with this lovely family. I loved every second of it and I can’t wait to see what happens next.”
The Oscar winner, 48, took over the role of Elizabeth from Claire Foy for seasons 3 and 4, playing the queen between the years 1964 and 1990. For seasons 5 and 6, Imelda Staunton will play the monarch alongside Jonathan Pryce as her husband, Prince Philip, and Lesley Manville as her sister, Princess Margaret.
“I have loved watching The Crown from the very start,” the Harry Potter alum, 66, said in a statement after her casting was announced. “As an actor it was a joy to see how both Claire Foy and Olivia Colman brought something special and unique to [creator] Peter Morgan’s scripts. I am genuinely honored to be joining such an exceptional creative team and to be taking The Crown to its conclusion.”
