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The Crown Season 5: Find out which stars will play Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret on the Netflix show
With a whole new ensemble cast, we're giving you a sneak peek of who—and what—you're likely to see on the show soon
With all three seasons of The Crown available to binge watch on Netflix, fans have been excited to get any details they can about the show's highly anticipated fourth season. While show-runner Peter Morgan is yet to confirm the release date, fans already have a sneak peek into what the fifth season will look like—new cast, characters and all.
Because The Crown spans multiple generations, the ensemble is re-cast every two seasons to ensure a realistic portrayal of all the characters. The first two seasons of the crown featured Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II, alongside Matt Smith as Prince Philip and Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret. The show bagged a Golden Globe and an Emmy award at the time.
In season three—and the upcoming fourth instalment—the new cast includes Olivia Colman as the Queen, Tobias Menzies playing Prince Philip and Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret. For the last and fifth season, which will likely span the ‘90s to the early ’00s, Imelda Staunton will play the Queen while Oscar-nominated actress Lesley Manville will take over the role of Princess Margaret.
“I could not be happier to be playing Princess Margaret,” shared Manville in a statement via Netflix. “The baton is being passed on from two formidable actresses and I really don’t want to let the side down. Furthermore to play siblings with my dear friend Imelda Staunton will be nothing short of a complete joy." Manville is best known for her roles in Phantom Thread (2017) for which she her a best supporting actress nomination at the 2018 Oscars and Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil (2019).
Staunton had shared the same excitement in a statement. “I have loved watching The Crown from the very start. 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. I am genuinely honoured to be joining such an exceptional creative team and to be taking The Crown to its conclusion,” she shared.
Fans will be excited to catch up on the plot lines in season four and five. Given the proposed timelines, the show will dramatise the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, the birth of Prince Harry and Prince William, political events like the Falklands War and miners’ strike, and will likely include storylines on Margaret Thatcher as the new prime minister. In the last season, storylines about the breakdown of many marriages (Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, as well as Princess Anne and Mark Phillips) will be central, as well as major events like the fire at Windsor Castle and The Golden Jubilee.
Also read:
11 historical dramas to watch as you wait for The Crown to return
8 royal filming locations from The Crown you can actually visit
