The Crown is actually doing it. Following rumors that the Netflix series would go for an “easy win” by introducing the young Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the show has officially cast three newcomers as the royal couple. Rufus Kampa and Ed McVey will play Prince William in his teen and early adult years, respectively, while Meg Bellamy will take on the role of Kate Middleton. It will be the first onscreen roles for all three actors.
As previously rumored, The Crown will feature William and Kate’s tabloid fodder romance. Via Deadline (which supplies photos):
McVey’s plot lines will include William’s courtship of Kate, including how they met when both were studying Art History at the University of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland in 2001. The pair, married in 2011, are now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Given how the Netflix series began dismantling the fairy tale image of the Royal Family by highlighting its treatment of Princess Diana, it will be interesting to see how Season 6 will portray William and Kate, who have had their share of scandals.
In the meantime, The Crown will start streaming its fifth season later this year, which will reportedly feature the last years of Princess Diana’s life. (In a brilliant casting coup, Elizabeth Debicki will play Princess Di in her later years, and you couldn’t ask for more a life-like resemblance.) The production has not confirmed how it will portray her tragic death in Paris while being aggressively pursued by the paparazzi, but it will be impossible not to address the grave moment in the Royal Family’s history.
The Crown Season 5 starts streaming on Netflix in November.
(Via Deadline)