Netflix Announce Princess Margaret Casting For 'The Crown' Season 5

Netflix has announced who will play their Princess Margaret in the fifth and final season of The Crown.

Oscar-nominated Lesley Manville has been confirmed to play the sister of the Queen, alongside Imelda Staunton who will be portraying the monarch in the upcoming series.

The Crown announced the news on Twitter, with a statement from Lesley, 64. In it, she said: "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.

"Furthermore, to play siblings with my dear friend Imelda Staunton will be nothing short of a complete joy."

Lesley will be taking over the reigns from both Vanessa Kirby and Helena Bonham Carter, who previously played the Queen's free-spirited younger sister in the hit Netflix drama.

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Lesley is well known for her work in the Maleficent films alongside Angelina Jolie, sitcom Mum and cancer drama Ordinary Love.

Most recently, she is set to star in BBC's Talking Heads.

Netflix)

In January, producers confirmed that the fifth series of the show would be its last while announcing that Harry Potter actress Imelda Staunton would be taking over from Olivia Coleman as the Queen.

The 64-year-old star said at the time: "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."

The fifth and final instalment is now expected to cover events up to 2003 - which means some of the most recent royal drama won't be featured.

The cutoff point means we won't get to see Prince William's budding university romance with Kate Middleton or their 2011 royal wedding.

The Crown season 3 aired in November 2019 and season 4 is expected to air late this year. While there is currently no release date for season 5, bets are that fans will get it towards the end of 2021 or early 2022.

While we're still a while off from seeing Imelda Staunton and Lesley Manville play the royal sisters, we can't wait!

Topics: Netflix UK, TV News, The Crown, TV Entertainment

Ciara Sheppard

Ciara is a freelance writer working for Tyla. After graduating with an English Lit and Media degree from the University of Sussex, Ciara held jobs at GLAMOUR and Yahoo Style before packing up for a solo travelling trip around South America.

@ciarasheppard