‘The Crown’ has announced who’s playing Princess Margaret in Season 5
The third and final actress to play Princess Margaret in The Crown has been cast.
Netflix revealed the surprise news in February that the fifth season of The Crown will be the show’s last.
The award-winning period drama series about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom launched in 2016, with Claire Foy leading the original cast.
Olivia Colman then took over the lead role in last year’s Season 3, and she’ll be back as the Queen in ten brand new episodes this winter.
It was confirmed earlier this year that Downton Abbey movie star Imelda Staunton will become the third actress to play Elizabeth.
And now we know who’ll be joining her as the new Princess Margaret!
Netflix officially announced yesterday that Lesley Manville will play Margaret in Season 5.
The 64-year-old English actress most recently starred in the BBC’s World on Fire as Robina.
Vanessa Kirby previously played the role in the first two seasons of The Crown.
Helena Bonham Carter then took over as the Queen’s younger sister in the third and fourth seasons.
Manville commented: “I could not be happier to be playing Princess Margaret. The baton is being passed on from two formidable actresses and I really don’t want to let the side down.”
She added: “Furthermore, to play siblings with my dear friend Imelda Staunton will be nothing short of a complete joy.”
Lesley Manville has previously appeared in Harlots, Cranford, Misbehaviour, Soldier Soldier, and North & South.
The fifth season of The Crown was due to begin filming this summer, but production is likely to be heavily delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Executive producer Andy Harries explained: “Obviously we are facing challenging times and I don’t know when we will return to filming normally.”
Season 5 will premiere exclusively on Netflix in 2021 or possibly 2022.
Lesley Manville is expected to return in the second season of World on Fire next year.
World on Fire is available to watch on Amazon Prime.