Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki has been confirmed to play Diana, Princess of Wales, in the final two seasons of The Crown.
In an official statement from The Crown’s Twitter account, the Night Manager star said it is an “honour” to undertake such a poignant role.
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“Princess Diana’s spirit, her words and her actions live in the hearts of so many,” she explained. “It is my true privilege and honour to be joining this masterful series, which has had me absolutely hooked from episode one.”
Elizabeth, 29, will take over from Emma Corrin – who plays Princess Diana in the fourth season of The Crown, due to be released this autumn.
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It is thought the final two series of the royal drama will cover the 1990s and early 2000s – including the demise of Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ marriage and her tragic death in 1997.
The announcement comes just days after Game Thrones star Jonathan Pryce was cast as Prince Philip. He takes over from Matt Smith and Tobias Menzies – who have both portrayed The Duke of Edinburgh in the series so far.
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Jonathan, 73, will be appearing alongside Imelda Staunton as The Queen and Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret.
According to The Sun, an insider said, “The three British actors formed a Holy Trinity of talent which shows bosses targeted to play the senior members of the royal family.
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“Jonathan was the only name which was discussed to play Philip, and the creators were thrilled when he agreed to join the cast.
“He was one of the last of the trio to sign up, however, as the final casting process taking place over Zoom calls during lockdown.”
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The news comes just weeks after Peter Morgan, the writer and creator of The Crown, made a U-turn and said there would be a sixth and final series, months after saying the show would end after series 5.
He said, “As we started to discuss the story lines 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.
“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.”
