With fans eagerly awaiting the release date for the next series of Netflix’s hit royal drama, The Crown, the show has made a new casting announcement. Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki will play Diana, Princess of Wales, in series five and six.
“Princess Diana’s spirit, her words and her actions live in the hearts of so many,” she said in a statement on The Crown‘s Twitter account. “It is my true privilege and honour to be joining this masterful series, which has had me absolutely hooked from episode one.”
Debicki is known for her roles in The Great Gatsby, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, The Night Manager, and the upcoming thriller, Tenet. She will replace Emma Corrin, the 24-year-old newcomer who will play Diana when the character is introduced in the drama’s upcoming series four.
Last week, it was announced Game of Thrones star Jonathan Pryce will be playing Prince Philip in series five and six. The Oscar nominee is set to take over the role currently played by Tobias Menzies, who will continue as Philip in series four.
Other confirmed additions to the cast for series five and six include Imelda Staunton of Harry Potter fame, who will take the reigns from Olivia Colman to play Queen Elizabeth II, and Lesley Manville, who will replace Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret.
Previously, it was announced series five would be the final instalment of the drama, but in a statement released last month, Peter Morgan revealed there would be a series six after all.
“As we started to discuss the storylines for Series 5, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons,” Morgan said. “To be clear, Series 6 will not bring us any closer to present-day – it will simply enable us to cover the same period in greater detail.”
Series four of The Crown is set to release later this year on Netflix, with series five not planned to hit the streaming service until 2022.
