The fifth season of the hit Netflix series The Crown is nearly here, with a release date of November 2022. Season five will be set during the early to mid 1990s and will feature the next changing of the cast to match the growing ages of its characters, as seen at the start of season three.
Season five will also introduce all-new characters to the series, like the prime ministers who served during the time, and so on. Let’s take a look at all of the characters that we know will appear in season five of The Crown and which actors have been cast to play them.
Imelda Staunton – Queen Elizabeth II
After Claire Foy and Olivia Coleman, Imelda Staunton will be playing Queen Elizabeth II. You might recognize Staunton from her appearances in the Harry Potter series as Delores Umbridge, as well as from her roles in Vera Drake, Shakespeare in Love, and the Downton Abbey films. Staunton’s reign as Queen Elizabeth II will see her deal with the death of Princess Diana, and her own “annus horribilis” of 1992 in which is the Royal Family was engulfed in scandal.
Jonathan Pryce – Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Taking over from Matt Smith and Tobias Menzies will be Jonathan Pryce playing the role of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Pryce is perhaps best known for his role as The High Sparrow in Game of Thrones and his roles in Glengarry Glen Ross, The Two Popes, and Tomorrow Never Dies. It’s unlikely either his or Queen Elizabeth II’s death will be dealt with in either the fifth or sixth season of the series, but it is assumed that both Imelda Staunton and Jonathan Pryce will be the last actors to portray Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in The Crown.
Lesley Manville – Princess Margaret
Playing Princess Margaret, taking over from Vanessa Kirby and Helena Bonham Carter, will be Lesley Manville, who is best known for her roles in Phantom Thread, Another Year, Maleficent, and All or Nothing. While it is likely that these will be the last actors in these roles as the series is set to end with its sixth season, we will most likely see Princess Margaret’s death portrayed by Manville, but whether we see it in season five or season six is not clear.
Dominic West – Prince Charles
Playing Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales and now King Charles III, is Dominic West, taking over from Josh O’Connor who played him in seasons three and four. West is best known for playing Detective James “Jimmy” McNulty on The Wire, as well for his roles in Chicago, The Affair, 300, and Punisher: War Zone. Season five will see the collapse and fallout of Charles’ marriage with Princess Diana. Dominic’s son Senan West will portray Prince Charles’s son, Prince William, in the fifth season of the show.
Claudia Harrison – Princess Anne
Replacing Erin Doherty, who played Princess Anne in seasons three and four, is Claudia Harrison, who is perhaps best known for her roles in The Cat’s Meow, Humans, and The IT Crowd. Season five of The Crown will likely cover Princess Anne’s divorce from her first husband Mark Phillips, who was previously played by Geoffrey Breton, and her marriage to her second husband Timothy Laurence, who will be played by Theo Fraser Steele.
Elizabeth Debicki – Princess Diana
Princess Diana will be played by Elizabeth Debicki in the fifth season of The Crown, replacing Emma Corrin who played her in season four of the series. Debicki most known for her roles in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Tenet, The Great Gatsby, and Widows. Season five will not only cover the divorce between Princess Diana and Prince Charles but will also most likely cover her death as well.
Season give of The Crown will also feature Dr. Hasnat Khan, whom Diana had a relationship with after her divorce, as well as Dodi Al-Fayed, the man she was last in a relationship with and who also perished in the car crash that killed Diana. Dr. Hasnat Khan will be played by Humayun Saeed a brilliant and acclaimed Pakistani actor and producer, while Dodi Al-Fayed will be played by Khalid Abdalla who was recently in Moon Knight and might be best known for his roles in The Kite Runner, Hanna, and United 93. Salim Daw will be playing Mohammed Al-Fayed, Dodi’s billionaire father.
James Murray – Prince Andrew
Playing Prince Andrew is James Murray, who will replace Tom Byrne from the previous season. Murray is set to star in an upcoming series named Masters of Air, and is most likely best known for his roles in 6 Underground, McDonald and Dodds, and Age Before Beauty. Season five will most likely cover Andrew’s marriage and subsequent divorce with Sarah Duchess of York, who will be played by Emma Laird Craig, who has not done much acting besides as a paramedic in an episode of Eastenders.
Marcia Warren – Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
Replacing Victoria Hamilton and Marion Bailey will be Marcia Warren in the role of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in the fifth season of The Crown. Warren might be best known for her roles in Coronation Street, Leap Year, Viscous, The Cafe, Injustice, and Edge of Heaven. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother passed away around the same time as Princess Margaret, so whether or not we see her death in this upcoming season is as unclear, as it is with the death of Princess Margaret.
Sam Woolf – Prince Edward
Playing Prince Edward the Earl of Wessex, the youngest of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip’s children will be Sam Woolf. Although Woolf does not have many acting credits to his name, he was in an episode of Call the Midwife, had a role in Humans, and was a voice in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. TSeason five will probably see Prince Edward marry his wife Sophie Rhys-Jones, whose casting has not yet been made public.
Olivia Williams – Camilla Parker
Playing the now Queen Consort, Camilla Parker, in the fifth season of The Crown will be Olivia Williams. She will be replacing Emerald Fennell who played her in seasons three and four. Williams is perhaps best known for her roles in The Ghost Writer, An Education, and The Nevers, though she also appeared as Dr. Moira MacTaggert in X-Men: The Last Stand. Season five of The Crown will likely cover Parker’s divorce from Andrew Parker Bowles, as well as her relationship with Prince Charles after his divorce from Princess Diana.
Jonny Lee Miller – John Major
Playing Prime Minister John Major in the fifth season of The Crown will be Jonny Lee Miller, who is probably best known for his role as Sherlock Holmes in the show Elementary alongside Lucy Liu. Miller is also known for his role as Sick Boy in Trainspotting, and had roles in Æon Flux, Hackers, Eli Stone, Dexter, and Mindhunters. John Major was Prime Minister between 1990 and 1997, succeeding Margaret Thatcher who was played previously by Gillian Anderson. Flora Montgomery will be portraying Norma Major, John Major’s wife, and Montgomery is most likely known for her roles in When Brendan Met Trudy, Goldfish Memory, and Basic Instinct 2.
While Jonny Lee Miller will be playing Prime Minister John Major as said above, Bertie Carvel will be playing the Prime Minister who succeeded him, Tony Blair. A James Bond might also make an appearance in the series with Timothy Dalton rumored to play Peter Towsend, who was played by Ben Miles in earlier seasons of the series. This does not seem to be officially confirmed at the moment, so please take this casting as a rumor only for now.
These are not the only characters announced for the series, but this is the main cast. Also appearing in season five of The Crown will be: Andrew Havill as Robert Fellowes; Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu as Monique Ritz; Erin Richards as Kelly Fisher; Alastair Mackenzie as Richard Aylard; Kate Cook as Susie Orbach; James Harper-Jones as Camilla’s son Tom Parker Bowles; and Harry Anton as Trevor Rees-Jones, the bodyguard who survived the crash that killed Princess Diana.
It’s also worth noting that casting for the sixth season of the series is already underway: Rufus Kampa will be playing a young Prince William, replacing Senan West; Ed McVey will be playing an older version of Prince William; and Meg Bellamy will be playing Kate Middleton. The pair will most likely meet sometime in the sixth season, making it unlikely that Kate Middleton will appear in the fifth.
As you can see the fifth season of The Crown will prove to be no exception to the series having an all-star cast portraying the royal family and those who have surrounded them throughout the years. We will have to wait and see if this version of the characters is as well received as the previous versions.
The Crown will be available to stream on Netflix in November 2022.