The new season lands on Netflix today.
Last night saw the stars of Netflix’s The Crown take to the red carpet for the show’s official season five premiere in the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London.
In the latest instalment of the popular series, a rake of new stars join the cast. Imelda Staunton will play Queen Elizabeth II, as she takes over the role from the iconic Olivia Colman, while her on-screen husband, Prince Phillip, will be played by Jonathan Pryce, after Tobias Menzies played him in the previous series.
Emma Corrin played a young Princess Diana in season four, but Elizabeth Debicki will play her as she navigates her divorce from Prince Charles (Dominic West, taking over from Josh O’Connor). After becoming a favourite among fans, Helena Bonham Carter will hand the reins of Princess Margaret over to Lesley Manville. Olivia Williams will play Camilla Parker Bowles, taking over from season four star Emerald Fennell.
The sitting Prime Minister for season five – John Major – will be played by Jonny Lee Miller. No doubt, he’ll have a strong act to follow, after Gillian Anderson played Margaret Thatcher in the last season.
As excitement builds for season five, the show’s stars lined the red carpet for the world premiere last night, and a big hit for fans was seeing Elizabeth Debicki mind her on-screen sons, Teddy Hawley (Prince Harry) and Timothee Sambor (Prince William).
Dominic West was joined by his son Senan, who will play Prince William as a teen.
The series has received some criticism for the way in which it blurs the line between fictional and factual, but one of the stars to push back against this critique is Elizabeth Debicki. In a recent interview, she said: “I respect people’s points of view and I, being an actor in the show, understand the nature of what the show is.
“It was always very clear to me that one can never know what happens behind closed doors and that a writer is interpreting what may have happened.”
Season five of The Crown lands on Netflix today.
