LONDON – The fifth season of hit Netflix series The Crown started filming last month (July) in Britain, with a fresh cast taking over the roles from the previous season.
The streaming platform released a first look on Twitter of British actress Imelda Staunton, 65, who takes over the role of Queen Elizabeth II from Emmy-nominated actress Olivia Colman.
A critically acclaimed stage, television and film actress, Staunton is best known for playing Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter movies and there have been comments on social media of the similarities in the prim and proper images of Umbridge and Queen Elizabeth.
Actor Jonathan Pryce plays her husband Prince Philip while Jonny Lee Miller portrays Prime Minister John Major.
The closely scrutinised role of Princess Diana is played by Elizabeth Debicki, while Prince Charles is played by Dominic West.
Storylines in upcoming season will reportedly include Princess Diana’s bombshell Panorama interview on BBC, which made headlines recently after it came to light that interviewer Martin Bashir had used deceit to get the scoop.