The Crown season 5: Our first look at the new Charles and Diana

Hip hip hurray, we finally have our first look at several of the new stars who will be joining the cast of popular Netflix period drama The Crown for its final two seasons.

Netflix has released several new first-look images featuring Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki as the series’ final iteration of Prince Charles and Princess Diana that has us excited to see more from the next season.

Let’s break down these tantalizing new images.

The Crown season 5: Dominic West as Prince Charles

Really not sure what to make of Dominic West as the 1990’s Prince of Whales. This doesn’t have the sensation of a spot-on portrayal, but I also feel that we should reserve judgment on West’s take on the older Charles.

It’s hard to follow the exemplary footsteps of Josh O’Connor’s version, where he was a dead ringer for the Queen’s firstborn, but also made him his own, bringing a young fire to the role that was both critically acclaimed and well rewarded. O’Connor also had the benefit of more time, reminding us of a more dynamic, younger prince, rather than the more ‘stuffy’ version we’re familiar with today.

But West is usually excellent in everything (his cantankerous Uncle Matthew in The Pursuit of Love is just his most recent example). Although he may not resemble Charles as much as his predecessor, he will likely make up for that with his thespian talents.

The Crown season 5: Elizabeth Debicki taking over as Diana

Elizabeth Debicki’s take on the “people’s princess” is also a bit of a mixed bag, really. In the released image, Debicki certainly looks the part, particularly as the more contemplative Diana, and has turned in plenty of excellent work in the past (Tenet, The Night Manager).

But she has big shoes to fill, coming after Emma Corrin’s standout performance in The Crown’s season 4, which earned both critical and popular acclaim. Corrin brought a new fire to the Diana we thought we knew and her intense charisma just bounced off the screen.

You can catch another sneak preview of Debicki as Diana here, alongside young princes William and Harry.

The Crown season 5: The new Queen Elizabeth

The ambivalence I have for the transition of the Charles and Diana actors on The Crown feels the same as when we went from Claire Foy’s dynamic young Elizabeth II to a more matronly version played by Olivia Coleman. Coleman is a wonderful actress, but some of the vitality that Foy fascinated audiences with was missing once Coleman took over the role, although, again she was fine as the middle-aged Queen.

However, Imelda Staunton’s image as the queen we recognize in our own time is quite tantalizing. In the released photo, you can sense the vivacity lurking underneath a very contained demeanor. As she did with Professor Umbridge in the Harry Potter films, it’s what she’s not saying that speaks volumes about her intentions.

The Crown season 5: More casting news!

Although The Crown initially struggled with casting season five’s Prince Andrew, the Peter Morgan-created series finally settled on James Murray as the queen’s ‘favorite’ and most infamous son, taking over from Tom Byrne.

Emma Laird Craig will play his wife, Sarah Ferguson.

Claudia Harrison will take over from Erin Doherty (who was so perfect) as the queen’s only daughter, Princess Anne, for seasons 5 and 6. You can see some captured images of her take on Anne alongside Saunton’s Elizabeth here, while they filmed in Scotland.

Other casting news includes Jonny Lee Miller taking on the role of U.K. Prime Minister John Major (we will sorely miss Gillian Anderson’s spellbinding turn as Margaret Thatcher), Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, and Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret.

But most enticing of all, in my opinion, will be Olivia Williams’s take on Camilla Parker Bowles, taking the very successful baton from Emerald Fennell.

You can see how cast members compare with their real-life counterparts here.

Season 5 of The Crown will encompass the Queen’s “annus horribilis,” which she coined in 1992 during a speech to Parliament, which described the embarrassing crumbling of marriages by three of her children. Season 6 will likely conclude the royal family’s drama with Diana’s tragic car crash in Paris and subsequent funeral and global mourning.

The Crown’s season 5 is expected to drop sometime in 2022. Still a bit of a wait, but I’ll keep more details coming your way in the meantime! What do you think of the casting news? Sound off in the comments below.