Who are the main cast of Netflix’s popular historical drama series The Crown season 6, and who have they taken over the roles from?
The sixth and final season of Netflix’s extraordinarily popular historical drama series The Crown is still expected to release in late 2023, but who has been cast in the leading roles and which characters will they play?
The Crown season 6 cast and characters
- Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II
- Viola Prettejohn as young Princess Elizabeth
- Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
- Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
- Beau Gadsdon as young Princess Margaret
- Dominic West as Charles, Prince of Wales
- Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles
- Elizabeth Debicki as Diana, Princess of Wales
- Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Fayed
- Salim Daw as Mohamed Al-Fayed
- Bertie Carvel as Tony Blair
- Lydia Leonard as Cherie Blair
- Andrew Havill as Robert Fellowes
- Marcia Warren as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
- Claudia Harrison as Anne, Princess Royal
- Theo Fraser Steele as Timothy Laurence
- James Murray as Prince Andrew, Duke of York
- Sam Woolf as Prince Edward
- Ed McVey as Prince William of Wales
- Rufus Kampa as young Prince William of Wales
- Meg Bellamy as Catherine Middleton
- Luther Ford as Prince Harry of Wales
- Will Powell as young Prince Harry of Wales
- Richard Rycroft as George Carey
Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II
Age: 67
Famous Roles: Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter franchise
Partner: Jim Carter
Children: One
Net Worth: $10 million
Staunton is the third iteration of Queen Elizabeth II shown in The Crown, following Claire Foy in seasons 1-2, and Olivia Coleman in seasons 3-4. The 67-year-old is a veteran of the stage, silver screen, small screen, and radio with over 100 acting credits to her name.
Arguably her most well-known roles to date have been as Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter franchise, Lady Maud Bagshaw in Downton Abbey (2019), Hefina in Pride (2014), Vera in Vera Drake (2004), and Izzy Comyn in Up the Garden Path (1990).
In 2006, Staunton was appointed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and in 2016, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her services to drama and the performing arts.
Acknowledging the journey that The Crown has taken Queen Elizabeth on, Staunton described the role as a “challenge that I felt for myself — the extra challenge, if there wasn’t enough on my plate — was to be the queen that people recognize much more now, the older queen.”
“Claire Foy’s [version] was almost a costume drama because it seemed so long ago, and then Olivia Colman’s was, again, like a period piece. [This season] just feels so much more present. I thought, ‘I can’t fool anyone now’.”
Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Age: 76
Famous Roles: Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio in The Two Popes
Partner: Kate Fahy
Children: Three
Net Worth: $16 million
Iconic Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce returns as Prince Philip, succeeding Matt Smith’s iteration from seasons 1-2, and Tobias Menzies from seasons 3-4. Pryce has over 130 acting credits to his name, two Tony Awards, and a nomination for Best Actor at the Oscars for his performance as Pope Francis in The Two Popes– he lost out to Joker’s Joaquin Phoenix.
Pryce’s accomplishments are far too long to list, with his most well-known roles being in Game of Thrones as The High Sparrow (2015), Wolf Hall as Cardinal Wolsey (2015), Tomorrow Never Dies as Elliot Carver (1997), Carrington as Lytton Strachey (1995), and Glengarry Glen Ross as James Lingk (1992).
Reflecting on the change in the show between the earlier seasons and the upcoming finale, Pryce shared how “What will be different about it is how the audience perceive it. They’ll be informed and educated in a different way, and we’ll be looking at the Queen in a different way.”
“While watching the story unfold, all sorts of things will be happening in the audience’s mind about how they feel about the Queen now that she’s passed. It’ll take on a whole new aura I think, for the good. People will want to see it.”
Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
Age: 67
Famous Roles: Cyril in Phantom Thread
Partner: Single
Children: One
Net Worth: $4 million
Lesley Manville reprises her role as Princess Margaret in The Crown season 6, who was portrayed by Vanessa Kirby in seasons 1-2 and Helena Bonham Carter in seasons 3-4. The veteran actress was formally married to actors Joe Dixon and Gary Oldman, sharing a son with the latter.
Manville has experienced a stellar career across various mediums of entertainment, with some of her most iconic work being in Mrs Harris Goes to Paris as Ada Harris (2022), Let Him Go as Blanche Weboy (2020), Maleficent as Flittle (2015), Another Year as Mary (2010), and Rosemary Kendall in Emmerdale (1974).
Manville told Deadline in 2022 how the passing of Queen Elizabeth had “certainly heightened” the tension surrounding the show and its response: “There is, and for my part as well, a great deal of compassion towards the Queen, and depths of feeling that she is no longer with us. That has certainly heightened it all.”
Dominic West as Charles, Prince of Wales
Age: 53
Famous Roles: Detective James ‘Jimmy’ McNulty in The Wire
Partner: Catherine FitzGerald
Children: Five
Net Worth: $20 million
Dominic West returns in The Crown season 6 as Prince Charles (now King Charles), having taken over from Billy Jenkins (season 1), Julian Baring (season 2), and Josh O’Connor (seasons 3-4).
West is best-known for playing Detective Jimmy McNulty in 60 episodes of The Wire (2002), with other notable roles coming in The Affair as Noah Solloway (2014), Hector Madden in The Hour (2011), 300 as Theron (2006), Chicago as Fred Casely (2002), and Henry Earl of Richmond in Richard III (1995).
Acknowledging the emotional range that he will have to bring to the role in season 6, West told Netflix Tudum: “It’s the worst time for them and also the prime of their lives, which was in some way Charles’ tragedy.”
“These are the events of the late ’90s and early 2000s and Diana’s divorce and death. If you look at the coverage [and] shots of Charles, he was a very, very sad person at that time.”
Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles
Age: 55
Famous Roles: Anna Crowe in The Sixth Sense
Partner: Rhashan Stone
Children: Two
Net Worth: $2 million
Reprising her role as Camilla Parker Bowles in The Crown season 6 is Olivia William, who succeeded Emerald Fennell’s iteration of the character in seasons 3 and 4.
Williams is widely known thanks to an illustrious career on the stage and screen with some of her most notable performances coming in Emma as Jane Fairfax (1996), Rushmore and Rosemary Cross (1998), An Education as Miss Stubbs (2009), The Ghost Writer as Ruth Lang (2010), Countess Vronskaya in Anna Karenina (2012), and Hyde Park on Hudson as Eleanor Roosevelt (2012).
Speaking to Netflix Tudum, Williams noted how at the time, Camilla “was actually left utterly exposed to whatever mud was being slung at her.”
“That was a challenge for us, to actually keep finding the joy between the two of them and to try and work out what the magical thing is between them that clearly makes them such a happy and successful and supportive and humorous couple now, in this very successful marriage.”
Elizabeth Debicki as Diana, Princess of Wales
Age: 33
Famous Roles: Jordan Baker in The Great Gatsby
Partner: Kristian Rasmussen
Children: None
Net Worth: $4 million
Elizabeth Debicki has arguably the toughest challenge out of any cast members of The Crown season 6, bringing the story of beloved Princess Diana to a close and having taken over from the brilliant Emma Corrin from season 4.
Debicki made her professional debut in 2010 and has featured in the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy Volumes 2 (2017) and 3 (2023) as Ayesha, Tenet as Catherine ‘Kat’ Barton (2020), Widows as Alice (2018), The Night Manager as Jed Marshall (2016), and The Kettering Incident as Dr Macy (2016).
Describing the motivation and approach to portraying such a well-known public figure, Debicki told Good Morning America: “I’ll say that Peter [Morgan, creator of The Crown] and the entire crew of this job do their utmost to really handle everything with such sensitivity and truth and complexity, as do [the] actors.”
Bertie Carvel as Tony Blair
Age: 46
Famous Roles: DCI Adam Dalgliesh in Dalgliesh
Partner: Sally Scott
Children: One
Net Worth: $5 million
Bertie Carvel reprises his role as Tony Blair in The Crown season 6, who was the British Prime Minister between 1997 and 2007 –the remaining years set to be covered in the final season of Netflix’s hit show.
Carvel is best-known for his performances on stage as Miss Trunchbull in Matilda: The Musical and Rupert Murdoch in Ink – both of which earned him critical acclaim. On the small screen, fans may recognize the actor from his performances as Jonathan Strange in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2015), Simon Foster in Doctor Foster (2015), and Banquo from the film adaptation of The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021).
Carvel told iNews back in 2021 how he didn’t know “quite what shape it’s going to take for me,” when playing Tony Blair, adding: “I’m approaching it a bit like apparently Michelangelo did with his blocks of marble and allowing things to be revealed.”
Ed McVey as Prince William of Wales
Age: 23
Famous Roles: Prince William in The Crown
Partner: Single
Children: None
Net Worth: Uknown
Ed McVey will bring Prince William to The Crown season 6, with Rufus Kampa set to play a younger version of the popular royal family member in the opening episodes of the final series.
McVey is set to make his professional debut in The Crown season 6 and will undoubtedly launch his own highly successful career after the final series airs later this year.
Luther Ford as Prince Harry of Wales
Age: Unknown
Famous Roles: Prince Harry in The Crown
Partner: Single
Children: None
Net Worth: Unknown
Similar to Prince William, Prince Harry will be portrayed by two actors in The Crown season 6: Luther Ford in his adult years, and Will Powell in his junior years.
Not much information on Ford is available online, but according to IMDB he has starred in several short movies such as Dream Between (2020), Woods (2022), and While the Going Is Good (2022) – he also works as an editor and director.
The Crown season 6 is expected to premiere in late 2023, exclusively on Netflix.
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