The Crown Season 5 cast: who stars in the Netflix drama with Imelda Staunton and Elizabeth Debicki?

The Crown has reached the 1990s. The fifth season of Peter Morgan’s royal drama, which arrives on Netflix on Wednesday 9 November, will chart the breakdown of Charles and Diana’s marriage, the premiership of John Major, and the Queen’s annus horribilis as the monarchy struggles to adapt to an ever-changing world.

As is typical of the Netflix drama, Season 5 of The Crown introduces a whole new cast, with new actors taking over from their predecessors to play the royal family at a new stage in their life.

Here’s everything you need to know about the cast of The Crown Series 5, from who they play in the Netflix historical drama to where you recognise them from already – and, of course, a recommendation for what to watch them in next.

Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth

Who do they play in The Crown? Staunton is playing Queen Elizabeth through the late 80s and early 90s, when she was around 60 years old.

Who previously played this character on The Crown? Queen Elizabeth was of course previously played by Claire Foy (Wolf Hall) and Olivia Colman (Peep Show).

Where do I know them from? Staunton is best-known for appearing in films like Pride, Vera Drake, and Shakespeare in Love, and of course also played Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter films.

What should I watch them in next? The Apple TV+ adoption comedy Trying features Staunton in a supporting role as a social worker. She’s not in it a lot, but it’s a very endearing programme, worth checking out.

Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip

Who do they play in The Crown? Pryce is playing Prince Philip through the late 80s and early 90s, when he was around 70 years old.

Who previously played this character on The Crown? Prince Philip was previously played by both Matt Smith (Doctor Who) and Tobias Menzies (Game of Thrones).

Where do I know them from? On television, Pryce is best known for playing the High Sparrow in Game of Thrones and Thomas Wolsey in Wolf Hall, while you might also recognise him from films like Brazil and Tomorrow Never Dies.

What should I watch them in next? For a similar sort of biographical movie, you might want to check out The Two Popes, which imagines conversations between Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins) and Pope Francis (Pryce) when the former retired.

Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret

Who do they play in The Crown? Lesley Manville plays Princess Margaret, the Queen’s younger sister, through the late 80s and early 90s.

Who previously played this character on The Crown? Vanessa Kirby played Margaret in the first two seasons of The Crown, with Helena Bonham Carter playing the character in seasons 3 and 4.

Where do I know them from? Manville starred alongside Staunton in Vera Drake, and has appeared in films like Phantom Thread and Maleficent. You might also recognise her from the BBC Two sitcom Mum.

What should I watch them in next? Earlier this year, Manville starred in the James Graham crime drama Sherwood with David Morrissey, which received strong acclaim from all quarters.

Jonny Lee Miller as John Major

Who do they play in The Crown? Jonny Lee Miller plays John Major, the Conservative Prime Minister through the early 1990s. Major was first Foreign Secretary and later Chancellor of the Exchequer under Margaret Thatcher.

Who previously played this character on The Crown? Marc Ozall (The Girl Before) made a brief appearance as John Major in The Crown Season 4, sharing a scene with Gillian Anderson’s Margaret Thatcher.

Where do I know them from? Miller is best known for playing Sick Boy in Trainspotting, though you might also know him from roles in films like Hackers and Mansfield Park, as well as for appearing in the television series Eli Stone and Dexter.

What should I watch them in next? Jonny Lee Miller was an absolutely brilliant Sherlock Holmes in Elementary – and, in fact, recently emerged as the favourite Sherlock Holmes amongst NationalWorld readers.

Dominic West as Prince Charles

Who do they play in The Crown? Dominic West plays Prince Charles during the late 80s and early 90s, then in his mid-40s.

Who previously played this character on The Crown? Prince Charles was previously portrayed by Josh O’Connor on The Crown.

Where do I know them from? You’ll know Dominic West from things like The Wire, The Affair, and Les Miserables. Interestingly, West is one of four actors who appeared in Amazon Prime Video’s Ten Percent who now plays a significant role in The Crown Season 5. Fun little trivia point there!

What should I watch them in next? West is currently starring in SAS Rogue Heroes on BBC One, a new drama from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight – which comes highly recommended by Steven Ross on our new television podcast Screen Babble.

Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana

Who do they play in The Crown? Elizabeth Debicki plays Princess Diana during the 1990s, when she would’ve been in her early 30s. There was a twelve-year age gap between Diana and Charles.

Who previously played this character on The Crown? Princess Diana was introduced in The Crown Season 3, where she was played by Emma Corrin (My Policeman).

Where do I know them from? Debicki is best known for appearing in John le Carre spy drama The Night Manager across from Tom Hiddleston, as well as for her role in the Steve McQueen crime drama Widows.

What should I watch them in next? devol yllaer I yas ot evah I hcihw ,teneT eivom naloN rehpotsirhC eht ni saw ikcibeD htebazilE.

Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles

Who do they play in The Crown? Olivia Williams plays Camilla Parker Bowles during the mid 90s, when she was in her mid-40s. It was around this time that Charles and Camilla were carrying out a relationship in secret.

Who previously played this character on The Crown? Emerald Fennell played Camilla Parker Bowles in Season 4 of The Crown; Fennell, of course, is best known for writing and directing Promising Young Woman.

Where do I know them from? You’ll know Williams from film roles like Emma and The Ghost Writer, or from television appearances in shows like Dollhouse and The Nevers.

What should I watch them in next? It’s a difficult watch, but Williams is excellent in a supporting role in the Anthony Hopkins dementia drama The Father.

James Murray as Prince Andrew

Who do they play in The Crown? James Murray plays Prince Andrew, the Queen’s third child, during the 1990s. He was in his early 30s at this point (Andrew maintains he met Jeffrey Epstein in 1999, contradicting an earlier account given by his private secretary, who suggested the pair met in the early 90s).

Who previously played this character on The Crown? In Season 3 of The Crown, Prince Andrew was played by Tom Byrne (A Discovery of Witches).

Where do I know them from? You might recognise Murray from shows like Cutting It, 20 Things to Do Before You’re 30, McDonald & Dodds, and Chaos, or the Michael Bay movie 6 Underground. He can next be seen in the Apple TV+ series Masters of the Air.

What should I watch them in next? Any opportunity to recommend Primeval is one worth taking, but you should also check out Murray’s brilliant performance in the Russell T Davies drama Cucumber.

Claudia Harrison as Princess Anne

Who do they play in The Crown? Claudia Harrison plays Princess Anne, the Queen’s only daughter and second oldest child. In the 1990s, Anne got divorced and remarried.

Who previously played this character on The Crown? Anne was played by Erin Doherty (Chloe) in Season 3 and 4 of The Crown.

Where do I know them from? You might recognise Harrison as Dr. Janice Woods in Delicious, or as Dr. Aveling in the second series of Humans.

Sam Woolf as Prince Edward

Who do they play in The Crown? Sam Woolf plays Prince Edward, the Queen’s youngest child.

Who previously played this character on The Crown? Angus Imrie (son of Celie Imrie) played Prince Edward in The Crown Season 4.

Where do I know them from? You might recognise him from JK Rowling’s crime drama Strike, or from a brief appearance in Humans Series 2.

Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Fayed

Who do they play in The Crown? Khalid Abdalla plays Dodi Fayed, a film producer who became close to Princess Diana during the 1990s.

Who previously played this character on The Crown? This is the first time Dodi Fayed has appeared on The Crown.

Where do I know them from? Abdalla is probably best known for playing Amir Qadiri in The Kite Runner, though you might also recognise him from United 93, Green Zone, and Hanna. More recently, he appeared as Osiris in the Marvel series Moon Knight.

Natascha McElhone as Penny Romsey

Who do they play in The Crown? McElhone plays Penny Romsey, also known as Penelope Knatchbull; she’s the second cousin of Prince Charles, and the wife of Prince Philip’s godson. During the early 1990s, she developed a close friendship with Prince Philip.

Where do I know them from? You’ll recognise McElhone from film roles in The Truman Show and Solaris, or from television appearances in Designated Survivor, Californication, and The First. This year, she’s appeared in both Hotel Portofino and Halo.

Timothy Dalton as Peter Townsend

Who do they play in The Crown? Timothy Dalton plays Peter Townsend, a member of the royal staff who had a brief but intense romantic relationship with Princess Margaret in the 1950s.

Who previously played this character on The Crown? Ben Miles (Coupling, Andor) played Townsend in the first two series of The Crown.

Where do I know them from? Dalton is probably most famous as one of the actors to play James Bond, but you’ll also know him from roles like Mr Rochester in Jane Eyre (1983), Sir Malcolm Murray in Penny Dreadful, Simon Skinner in Hot Fuzz, and Rassilon in Doctor Who.

Prasanna Puwanarajah as Martin Bashir

Who do they play in The Crown? Prasanna Puwanarajah plays Martin Bashir, the BBC journalist who obtained a high-profile interview with Princess Diana under false pretences.

Where do I know them from? You’ll recognise Puwanarajah from roles in shows like Line of Duty, Doctor Foster, and Patrick Melrose. Interestingly, he previously played Martin Bashir in the 2013 Diana biopic starring Naomi Foster.

What should I watch them in next? Puwanarajah is a great comic actor, and I’d recommend checking out Ten Percent and the much-missed Defending the Guilty to see his performance there.

Bertie Carvel as Tony Blair

Who do they play in The Crown? Bertie Carvel plays Tony Blair, the Labour leader who became Prime Minister in 1997.

Who previously played this character on The Crown? This is the first series of The Crown where the former Labour leader has made an appearance, though of course The Crown’s showrunner Peter Morgan famously wrote a trilogy of films about Tony Blair starring Michael Sheen.

Where do I know them from? You’ll know him from television roles in series like Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Dr Foster, and Dalgliesh; interestingly enough, Carvel previously played political journalist Robin Day in an earlier series of The Crown.

What should I watch them in next? If you like watching Carvel in political biopics, you might want to check out the 2015 Channel 4 movie Coalition, which sees him play Nick Clegg.

Who writes and directs The Crown season 5?

Peter Morgan will once again write every episode of The Crown season 5, as he has done in previous years. Outside of The Crown, Morgan has written the Tony Blair films The Queen, The Deal, and The Special Relationship, as well as the movie Frost/Nixon.

The Crown Season 5 will arrive on Netflix on Wednesday 9 November. You can find more of our coverage of The Crown here.