The Crown has a history of making stars of its leading cast - just think of Claire Foy as the Queen, Emma Corrin as Princess Diana or Erin Doherty as Princess Anne.
With the hype around its season six cast rapidly reaching fever pitch ahead of the show's November released, here’s our lowdown on who’s playing whom in the last edition of Netflix’s dramatised version of recent royal history. Hold onto your pearls...
Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II
Staunton will be donning the fabled crown for the second time this season as the late Queen Elizabeth II. She’s got some big shoes to fill - Olivia Colman and Claire Foy played previous incarnations of the character (it is rumoured that the pair will also be making cameo appearances this season as a tribute of sorts to the Queen) - but Staunton’s an acting force to be reckoned with herself. Though perhaps best known for her role as hateful professor Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter series, she’s appeared in Oscar-nominated film Vera Drake, Paddington and Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads among many, many others as well as numerous lauded stage roles, from Mama Rose in Gypsy to Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.
After accepting the role, Staunton said that she had “loved watching The Crown from the very start,” adding: "As an actor it was a joy to see how both Claire Foy and Olivia Colman brought something special and unique to Peter Morgan’s scripts.”
Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip
Appearing opposite Staunton as Prince Philip will be Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce. He’s renowned for being somewhat of an acting chameleon, having been in work as varied as the Bond franchise (as a villain in Tomorrow Never Dies) to period dramas (such as The Age of Innocence).
He also picked up his first Oscar nod for appearing as Pope Francis (then Cardinal Bergoglio) opposite Anthony Hopkins as Pope Benedict in the film The Two Popes - after that, playing an ageing, powerful man should be a cinch.
Dominic West as Prince Charles
Donning the tweed for the second time as Prince Charles (now King) will be Dominic West. Born in Yorkshire, West broke through thanks to his performance as Jimmy McNulty in noughties sensation The Wire; since then, he’s gone onto star in The Affair, the BBC’s TV adaption of Les Miserables, The Pursuit of Love, new series SAS Rogue Heroes and even Brassic, as well as films including Pride (he played the real-life character of Jonathan Blake, one of the first people to be diagnosed in Britain with HIV, who, at 72, remains one of the country’s oldest surviving people with the illness).
He was at the centre of a media storm two years ago when photographs depicting him and his Pursuit of Love co-star Lily James were published that appeared to show them very cosy indeed in a break from filming (he was playing her dad). West and his wife Catherine FitzGerald put on a united front, telling reporters that their marriage was “very strong, and we are still very much together”.
Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana
Time for the big one: who will be playing Princess Diana? That would be Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki. Born in 1990, her star has been on the rise for several years now, having broken through in Britain opposite Tom Hiddleston in The Night Manager, the success of which landed her a recurring role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as appearances in Christopher Nolan blockbuster Tenet and crime thriller Widows. She appeared on the London stage in 2016 in The Red Barn at the National Theatre opposite Mark Strong. As she heads into Diana's tragic last year, photos from the set look like she’s already got the Princess's mannerisms down to a T: the head tilt is uncanny.
Claudia Harrison as Princess Anne
Claudia Harrison will be playing the no-nonsense Princess Anne in season six (Erin Doherty played her until season four). Another stalwart of British TV, Harrison clocked up roles in Channel 4 drama Humans and The IT Crowd before starting on The Crown.
Speaking about the role, Harrison has also called Anne “an extraordinary character”, adding: “She’s not there to make people feel better about themselves, but she is superb at her job and is a proper feminist. She’s someone we can really look up to and I think she has no sense of entitlement."
Ed McVey As Prince William
Prince William will be played by two actors this season. While Rufus Kampa portrays a younger iteration of the character in the years leading up to Diana's death, the role of a more mature William will be taken by industry newcomer Ed McVey. At 22, McVey has a fair amount of experience treading the boards: he attended The Drama Centre, which boasts alumni including Pierce Brosnan and Helen McCrory, before appearing at the Old Vic as an understudy for the main character Him in the play Camp Siegfried. “An absolute trial by fire but we came out the other side feeling amazing,” he wrote, adding that appearing on stage was a “phat tick off the bucket list.” Plus, his acting CV boasts that he can deliver a "Queen's English" accent: sounds like a pro.
Meg Bellamy as Kate Middleton
Appearing opposite him in her first-ever acting role will be Meg Bellamy as Kate Middleton, who met William while the pair were students together at St Andrews University. Only 20 years old, Bellamy attended St Crispin's comprehensive in Berkshire (the same county Kate Middleton herself grew up in) where she was Head Girl and starred in a handful of drama productions. Though she has no formal training, Deadline reports that Bellamy saw the casting call for the role of Kate and submitted an self-taped audition, which is where she caught the attention of the producers; the rest, as they say is history.
Luther Ford as Prince Harry
Similarly to William, the role of Harry will be played by two actors in season six: Will Powell, who plays the younger version, and Luther Ford, who plays the mature Harry. Not much is known about Ford, who will be playing Harry during his 'Party Prince' era: he graduated from Arts University Bournemouth with a degree in directing, and much of his recent work has indeed been in directing short films. On IMDb, he has at least three films to his name, but his only acting credit is in 2020's Dream Between, which he also directed.
Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker-Bowles
Londoner Olivia Williams takes the mantle from Emerald Fennell to portray the now-Queen Consort Camilla Parker-Bowles (and yes, her 2005 wedding to Charles is likely to make an appearance in season six). She’ll be playing the role during the most tumultuous period in Camilla’s life: as the infamous “third person” in Charles and Diana’s marriage - though their affair has now been exposed to the public and Charles and Camilla have separated, Camilla is very much a source of derision for the media and public.
Williams can call on decades of acting experience for the role, with a CV that includes Lucky Break, the Sixth Sense and The Nevers under her belt. She recently appeared in the Oscar-winning film The Father, directed by Florian Zeller, opposite Olivia Colman and Anthony Hopkins, who won an Oscar for the role.
James Murray as Prince Andrew
Manchester-born James Murray has had a busy few years: best known for his role in BBC series Cutting It (he is married to his co-star Sarah Parish, in fact), he has also appeared in Ryan Reynolds’ hit Netflix film 6 Underground, and is due to appear in Carey Fukunaga’s upcoming World War II miniseries Masters of the Air alongside Austin Butler, recently seen as Elvis, and Fantastic Beasts actor Callum Turner.
Murray has been open about the struggles involved in playing such a controversial real-life figure as Andrew. “It’s not really my job to feel too much, to judge the character,” he told This Morning last year. “Remember, we’re in the 1990s, before all the things that we know now. I just have to read what’s on the page, do my research and play that quasi-fictional character. Because otherwise, it’s just going to get in the way.”
Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Al-Fayed
Egyptian-British actor Khalid Abdalla has the task of embodying Dodi Al-Fayed, Diana’s lover, during the last year of his life. Abdella shot to international fame after appearing in the 2006 film United 93, but has also appeared in The Kite Runner and opposite Matt Damon in Green Zone.
He’s also an activist: after Egyptian dictator Mubarak’s fall in 2011, Abdalla helped found the Mosireen Collective in Cairo. Comprising a group of activists and revolutionary filmmakers, the initiative aimed to support free speech in Egypt - and became the most-watched non-profit YouTube channel in the world after it launched.
Marcia Warren as the Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Industry legend Marcia Warren takes the role of the Queen Mother - a role that was reportedly originally meant to go to Judi Dench, before the Dame dropped out.
At 78, Warren has won numerous Olivier awards for her work since she graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1963. She’s played Vera in BBC sitcom No Place Like Home, has appeared in Keeping Up Appearances, Midsomer Murders, Sherlock and Inside No. 9.
Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret
Rounding out the Royal Family is Lesley Manville, who plays Princess Margaret. A fellow Vera Drake alumnus, Manville has been a mainstay of the British acting scene for years - indeed, she appeared as Margaret Thatcher in the 2009 TV series The Queen. Now she’ll be ditching politics for life as a royal - which sounds like a challenge given, as she’s said, “historically the Royal family haven’t exposed their emotions publicly”. Her most recent film role was as the title character in the joyful comedy drama Mrs Harris Goes to Paris.
Bertie Carvel as Tony Blair
Carvel has big shoes to fill: not only is he taking on the role of one of the most famous Prime Ministers in modern memory, he’s also doing so after Michael Sheen’s star turn in the role in 2006 film The Queen. Born in Marylebone, Carvel has some serious acting chops: he’s won two Olivier awards, for playing Miss Trunchbull in Matilda and for his performance as Rupert Murdoch in James Graham’s West End play Ink. He’ll be best known to many across the country for playing love rat Simon Foster who finds himself at the sharp end of his wife’s revenge in TV drama Doctor Foster, opposite Suranne Jones.
Remarkably, this isn’t Carvel’s first time in the Crown: in an episode of season two, he played legendary broadcaster Robin Day.
Salim Daw as Mohamed Al-Fayed
Israel-born actor Daw will be playing the late Mohamed, the wealthy father of Dodi Al-Fayed and sometime owner of Harrods (he sold it in 2010) in season six. Born in 1951, he’s been acting for a long time. Perhaps best known for his role in spy thriller Oslo alongside Andrew Scott and Ruth Wilson, he’s also appeared in 2020 film Gaza Mon Amour and Netflix show Fauda. Daw has been enthusiastic about the role (which he is reprising after his appearance in season five), calling it “huge” and “the most wonderful gift an actor can dream of — it’s the biggest role of my career.”
