This is who will play Prince Phillip in seasons 5 and 6 of The Crown

As preparation continues on the fifth and final six series of The Crown, Netflix has revealed who will play the next variation of The Duke of Edinburgh   

Veteran English actor Jonathan Pryce has become next in line to play Prince Philip in the final two seasons of the acclaimed Netflix series

The actor, whom many will be familiar – he played The High Sparrow on Game of Thrones – succeeds Tobias Menzies and Matt Smith as the Duke of Edinburgh.

“I am delighted to be working with Netflix again. The positive experience I had making The Two Popes has given me the confidence to tackle the daunting prospect of portraying Prince Philip. To be doing so with Peter Morgan in the company of Imelda and Lesley will be a joy,” he said of the news.

Jonathan Pryce. Photo: Netflix

Imelda Staunton will succeed Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II for the sixth and final season of its period drama The Crown. We’ll have Colman as The Queen for one more season (season 5) before the baton is passed to Staunton.

Staunton, who has had a career spanning three decades including a notable role as Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter franchise, is the third actress to assume the throne, following Golden Globe-winning turns from Colman and Claire Foy.

Oscar nominee Lesley Manville has signed up to play Princess Margaret in the sixth series of The Crown. Manville replaces actress Helena Bonham Carter as the Queen’s younger sister, a role that has also been played by actress Vanessa Kirby.

Production has wrapped on season 4, which will focus on Diana and Prince Charles’ courtship and subsequent marriage in 1981 when the late princess was 20. She will be portrayed by Emma Corrin.

The fourth series will continue to span the years 1964-76, but with just one more time period to cover, the series will wrap well before current events and prior to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s public departure from royal life.

We also know that The X Files’ Gillian Anderson is confirmed to play British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in season four and her casting indicates that season four will stretch into the 1980s.

Read more:  First look at Gillian Anderson in The Crown Season 4

Read more: 10 binge-worthy royal TV series and films to watch while in lockdown (that aren’t The Crown)