It’s time for a royal farewell. 

After six seasons, three cast changeovers, and the chronicling of over 50 years, The Crown’s palace gates are closing for good, waving goodbye to one of the most ambitious TV conceits in history. To mark the occasion of Season 6, Part 2 dropping on Netflix on Dec. 14, the cast (old and new!) descended on London’s iconic South Bank for one final family gathering. 

With the release of the second part of The Crown’s final season, we enter a new millennium. As the family attempts to meld into some kind of new normal following the death of Princess Diana, the world is aflutter with an acute case of “Willsmania”; Prince Harry is suffering from peak second child syndrome; Charles wants to make it official after his 30-year relationship with Camilla; and the queen is questioning her place in the future of the monarchy. It’s a busy decade.

To celebrate the new era for the royals and the end of an excellent era of television, here’s everything that went down at the world premiere of The Crown Season 6, Part 2.

Still Moving/Netflix

London’s South Bank was transformed into a royal palace

On any given day, London’s iconic South Bank is jam-packed with people getting a whistle-stop tour of some of the city’s most popular views. With The Crown’s premiere, they got an extra landmark, as the Royal Festival Hall was turned into Buckingham Palace, complete with spotless cream walls and even the famous red carpet — two birds with one stone! Inside, the minimalist theater was draped in heavy velvet curtains, bespoke royal bars, and huge screens that cycled through photos of the old and new casts. 

Actors from seasons past assembled on the carpet

When your show has spanned 50 years and changed its cast three times, there’s a pretty impressive roster of stars that make up its extended family. Not only was the current group on the carpet to say their goodbyes, but actors from previous seasons, too. Gillian Anderson, who played Margaret Thatcher in Season 4; Jonny Lee Miller, who played John Major in Season 5; Emma Corrin, who played Princess Diana in Seasons 3 and 4; and Erin Doherty, who played Princess Anne in Seasons 3 and 4 were among the old guard bidding farewell. “It’s very sad that it’s the end. And it’s really great that everybody has come together to celebrate,” Anderson told Tudum on the carpet. Added Doherty, “I feel like I’m about to talk about Princess Anne, but I haven’t done that in years. It actually feels like no time’s passed at all!” With such a sprawling series cast, photographers on the carpet had their work cut out for them, wrangling the huge assemblage of icons into one single frame. 

The new cast got their time in the spotlight 

Since its inception, The Crown has always peppered its prestige ensemble with new actors, some of whom have never been on-screen before. For the second part of Season 6, the new breed of royals –– Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Prince Harry –– take center stage as we usher in the new millennium. Stars Ed McVey, Meg Bellamy, and Luther Ford can credit The Crown as their first official acting jobs, and last night’s red carpet one of their first ever premieres. As the stars staggered their arrivals, the three caught up to each other on the carpet, looking on fondly as they each posed for photographers. The moment ended in a big group hug and photo.

The Dianas met

As the space started filling up, there was an audible gasp from fans lining the red carpet as they witnessed a moment for the ages: the meeting of the two Dianas. Corrin and Elizabeth Debicki, who both play the princess across seasons 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 respectively, went in for a hug when they spotted each other on the carpet. Debicki admired Corrin’s outfit, which was inspired by one worn by Diana on a royal trip to Florence in 1985. The two actors stayed by each other’s side, even for the big cast photo with Khalid Abdalla –– who plays Dodi Fayed in Season 5 and Season 6, Part 1 –– nestled in just behind. They then headed into the screening together, arm in arm. 

Cross-season, on-screen siblings bonded

The Dianas weren’t the only cross-generation actors to have a moment, however: Doherty, who played Princess Anne in Seasons 3 and 4, and Dominic West, who plays Prince Charles in Seasons 5 and 6, embraced on the red carpet. Though they technically play royal siblings, West shares the screen with Claudia Harrison, who plays later-life Anne, and Doherty starred opposite Josh O’Connor, who was the first to play the future king. They posed next to each other for photos alongside Harrison, who Doherty said she finally got a chance to meet for the first time. “We’ve had text conversations back and forth about trying to meet up, and we never made it happen,” she told Tudum. “Tonight’s finally our night.” Maybe they talked about what to do with all their residual Anne knowledge, now that the series is over?

Still Moving/Netflix

A special exhibition of costumes and props was unveiled 

As the stars of the various seasons exited the icy outdoor red carpet into the warmth of the Royal Festival Hall, they were greeted with a special exhibition highlighting some of the most iconic costumes and props from the show. In a specially-designed prop room, shelves were stacked with era-appropriate tech, like phones and radios showing their evolution from the ’50s to the aughts. Walls were plastered with reference pictures of the royals throughout history, next to racks of costumes for the likes of Prince William, Prince Charles, and Princess Diana, her infamous blue swimsuit standing out. In the main exhibition room, there were costumes from almost every major character, including Claire Foy’s (who played Queen Elizabeth) Coronation dress from Season 1, Gillian Anderson’s crisp blue Margaret Thatcher suit, and Princess Diana’s beloved cycling shorts and oversized sweater combo. That’s not the only famous Diana look, though, as the “revenge dress” — the LBD that Debicki wore in Season 5 — was also on display. 

There’s a The Crown WhatsApp group 

Have you ever been in a group chat that includes a queen, a couple of princes, some dukes, and a future king? No, neither have we, but the cast of The Crown has — and it’s still active today. Jonathan Pryce, who plays Prince Philip alongside Imelda Staunton’s Queen Elizabeth II in Seasons 5 and 6, revealed that there’s not only one The Crown WhatsApp group going, but a handful. “We all said our fond farewells, but we keep in touch all the time with our various WhatsApp groups and stuff,’ he told Tudum. When pressed on how long he thinks he’ll keep the banter going, he joked “Until I get bored with them. When I’ve moved on and found another group of actors to be nice to.” Now, the biggest question on everyone’s lips is: Who in The Crown has the best meme game? 

The Crown Season 6, Part 2 premieres on Dec. 14