The blockbuster Netflix series The Crown found actors to play Prince William and Kate Middleton in Season Six, which is expected to go into production this Fall. The young prince will be played by Rufus Kampa and Ed McVey, while his future bride will be portrayed by Meg Bellamy. Fans can expect the 6th season of The Crown to centre on the late 1990s and early 2000s, a traumatic time for the royal family, thanks to the casting of 16-year-old Kampa as the queen and 21-year-old McVey as the prince. Kate will also make her acting debut during this time. According to Variety, all three actors are making their first appearances on film in the hit historical drama.
As the 5th season of The Crown is set to premiere this coming November, the news comes at a timely moment. The fifth season of the programme contains an all-new ensemble including Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, & Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles. In addition, Jonny Lee Miller will reprise his role as Prime Minister John Major in the next season. The 5th season of the critically acclaimed show will focus on the decline of Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ marriage and the terrible events surrounding her death in 1997 when John Major was prime minister. Khalid Abdalla, who starred in The Kite Runner, has joined the cast of the forthcoming season to play Dodi Al-Fayed, Diana’s lover who perished in the same Paris car disaster as she did.
The part of the Princess of Wales, previously played by Emma Corrin in Season 4 of The Crown, will now be played by Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki. Senan West, son of Dominic West, who plays Prince Charles, will also appear in Season 5 as Prince William, a young boy of about 11 years old. Dodi’s father, youthful department store mogul Mohamed Al-Fayed, will be portrayed by Egyptian celebrity Amir El-Massry. Kampa has an extensive resume of theatre work, but this is his first major role on television. He has been on the West End in productions at the Waterloo East Theatre and the Wycombe Swan, among others, and starred in Sue Townsend’s The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole 13 & 3/4s The Musical.
He’s also attending Tring Park School for the Performing Arts, where notable alumni include Dame Julie Andrews and Daisy Ridley (Star Wars). In contrast, McVey completed a four-year training programme at Drama Centre London and graduated the previous year. Both The Old Vic and Hammersmith Riverside Studios in London hosted his most recent theatrical performances. For Bellamy, the high-profile series marks her professional debut, though she has done some amateur theatre and films in the past. After a social media casting call, Kampa and Bellamy were both chosen based on their submitted audition tapes.