Emily In Paris actor Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu will be in The Crown s5!

The Crown season 4 dropped over a year ago (November 2020, to be precise), and now we're patiently counting down to season 5 landing on our TV screens.

While the excitement builds, the most important question to answer is: who is going to be taking over from the season three and four cast? Here's everything we know so far about The Crown season five, from the incoming actors to the release date and potential plot lines.

Who will star in The Crown season 5?

Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu

You probably recognise Philippine from Emily In Paris, and now it's been revealed she'll have a part in The Crown season 5. Though the actor, who plays Sylvie in the show, kept fairly quiet about what part she's actually playing, she told You she was "so, so happy", adding, "I’m not meant to say it, but I will anyway. It was a very small thing, but it was a lot of fun, and I was so, so happy to be in it. It's crazily well written."

Mail On Sunday reported that Philippine will play Monique Ritz, the widow of Charles Ritz, who sold his eponymous Paris hotel to Mohamed Al Fayed in 1979, and is part of Princess Diana's story.

The Queen - Imelda Staunton

On January 31st 2020, Netflix confirmed Imelda, who starred in Nanny McPhee and played Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter, would be taking over from Olivia Colman as the Queen. We got our first glimpse at her in character on 30 July, with Netflix sharing a picture on Instagram.

Speaking about the role, Imelda said: "I have loved watching The Crown from the very start. As an actor it was a joy to see how both Claire Foy and Olivia Colman brought something special and unique to Peter Morgan's scripts. I am genuinely honoured to be joining such an exceptional creative team and to be taking The Crown to its conclusion."

While show creator Peter Morgan added: "I’m absolutely thrilled to confirm Imelda Staunton as Her Majesty The Queen for the fifth and final season, taking The Crown into the 21st century. Imelda is an astonishing talent and will be a fantastic successor to Claire Foy and Olivia Colman."

John Major - Jonny Lee Miller

Jonny Lee Miller from Trainspotting joins The Crown to play Prime Minister John Major, it was announced in June 2021. Fans were somewhat confused about the casting, considering the actor and Conservative politician look nothing alike, but we know by now that producers know what they're doing.

Princess Diana - Elizabeth Debicki

In August 2020 it was first revealed Debicki, famous for her roles in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, The Night Manager, Widows and Tenet, will be taking over from Emma Corrin as Princess Diana. More recently, Corrin told Vulture she'd be happy to share some advice with her successor when it comes to the role.

"Make it your own. Put blinkers on for the rest of the world and for the pressure," Corrin explained. "Grab onto things that resonate with you, that you relate to, or that you empathise with. And always trust the script. It won't let you down."

Prince Philip - Jonathan Pryce

The new Prince Philip has also been cast, with Oscar-nominated Game of Thrones star Jonathan Pryce set to take over from Tobias Menzies. The actor played the High Sparrow in Game Of Thrones and was nominated for an Oscar for his role as Pope Francis in The Two Popes.

"I am delighted to be working with Netflix again," he said. "The positive experience I had making The Two Popes has given me the confidence to tackle the daunting prospect of portraying Prince Philip."

Princess Margaret - Lesley Manville

Lesley Manville will play the Queen's younger sister Princess Margaret. "I could not be happier to be playing Princess Margaret," the Phantom Thread star shared. "The baton is being passed on from two formidable actresses and I really don't want to let the side down. Furthermore, to play siblings with my dear friend Imelda Staunton will be nothing short of a complete joy."

Prince Charles - Dominic West

In August 2021, Netflix revealed Dominic West would be taking over from Josh O'Connor as Prince Charles. Dominic is famous for The Affair, The Wire and most recently The Pursuit Of Love.

What will happen in The Crown season 5?

Season five will look at the lives and loves of the Royal Family in the 90s and into the 00s. A new report from The Sun claims it will include *that* groundbreaking interview between Martin Bashir and Princess Diana, following her split from Prince Charles in 1995.

"The Crown’s creators see the interview as the keystone moment in series five," the source said. "To the writers, the stormy marriage between Charles and Di led up to her outpouring on Panorama, and the aftermath of that decision defined her final months.’

They continued, "They are making a huge investment in that. The Crown has a track record of delving into areas of the Royal Family’s history they’d rather be left alone."

The Queen's speech given on the 40th anniversary of her succession will no doubt be a key feature in the upcoming series. "1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an 'Annus Horribilis'," she famously said.

The events of that year include the publication of Princess Diana's bombshell, tell-all book, Diana: Her True Story, which documented her marriage troubles with Prince Charles. Prince Andrew also separated from Sarah Ferguson in March of 1992 and Princess Anne divorced Captain Mark Phillips.

The storyline will also inevitably include the passing of Diana, Princess of Wales - the late mother of Princes William and Harry – in a car accident in 1997.

Do we have a release date for The Crown season 5?

In September 2021, Netflix revealed the next series will drop on the streaming service in November 2022. In the announcement video, actress Imelda Staunton says, "I'm currently on the set of The Crown where we have just started filming season 5.

"I'm delighted to be here inheriting the role of Queen Elizabeth from two outstanding actresses. Most recently the wonderful Olivia Colman, and who could forget the actress who originated the part? Claire Foy. I will do my upmost to maintain the very high standard that they set.

"Hopefully I look calm, collected and capable. My stomach, meanwhile, is doing summersaults. On behalf of the cast and crew, we look forward to bringing you the next season of The Crown in November 2022."

Deadline reported that Staunton's first series as Queen Elizabeth II began production in June 2021, with Variety explaining the break between releases was always part of The Crown's plan going forward. It apparently had nothing to do with coronavirus putting production on hold.

This vaguely makes sense - season 1 was released in November 2016 and season 2 in December 2017, while The Crown season 3 came in November 2019 and The Crown season 4 landed November 2020.

Do we have a trailer for The Crown season 5?

Sadly no trailer just yet, but watch this space for your first look.

Do we have any teaser pictures from The Crown season 5?

Netflix revealed a first-look at Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki in character as Prince Charles and Princess Diana on 17th August. This also acted as an announcement for West taking on the role of Charles:

Plus, in late October actor Imelda Staunton was photographed during filming for the show, giving us our first look at her in her Queen Elizabeth role.

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