It’s not long until The Crown returns for its fourth season, bringing Netflix’s period drama about the British royals into the era of Thatcher and the early days of Princess Diana – set to be the final season starring Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II, and God’s Own Country’s Josh O’Connor as Prince Charles. And while the prospect of the new episodes is undoubtedly exciting, people are already looking ahead to what’s in store come Seasons 5 and 6, which will once again see the entire cast revolve – so far we know that Imelda Staunton will play the Queen, with Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, and Jonathan Pryce as Prince Phillip and Elizabeth Debicki as Diana.
Now there’s a strong indication of who’ll be taking over from O’Connor – highly praised as the strongest link in the Series 3 cast – as Prince Charles in the final two seasons. According to Variety, the frontrunner is Dominic West – who previously starred in the likes of The Wire and The Affair. And having played a man whose marriage is in jeopardy in the latter show, the final two series of The Crown will most likely involve the breakdown of Charles and Diana’s union, followed by her untimely death in Paris in 1997. According to the report, West isn’t yet finalised for the role, but the deal is not far off done.
As the Season 5 cast comes together, fans will be able to stream Season 4 on Netflix from 15 November – set to depict the marriage of Charles and Diana, the latter of which will be played this time around by Emma Corrin.