Entertainment

'The Crown' Season 3 Just Cast 2 New Royal Family Members & They Totally Fit The Parts

by Nathan Diller

Meet the newest members of the Royal Family — on Netflix, that is. The Crown has cast Prince Charles and the Queen Mother for Season 3, according to The Hollywood Reporter. And with the casting news also came a few new details about the hit show's highly anticipated third season.

Per THR, it was announced Thursday that the series has added Josh O'Connor, known for his work in films like Florence Foster Jenkins and God's Own Country, as Prince Charles, the son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, and Allied actor Marion Bailey as the Queen Mother. The pair will take over the roles from Julian Baring and Victoria Hamilton, respectively, who played the characters in Seasons 1 and 2.

In a post on the show's official Twitter account, O'Conner said, "I am thrilled to be joining The Firm for the next instalment of The Crown. Seasons three and four will follow some of the most turbulent events in the Prince of Wales' life and our national story and I'm excited to be bringing to life the man in the midst of it all."

He continued, "I'm very aware it's a formidably talented family to be joining, but reliably informed I have the ears for the part and will fit right in."

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In another tweet, Bailey also voiced her excitement to be joining the series — which was recently nominated for 13 Emmys — stating, "Wonderful to be joining The Crown. It's a brilliant show and we have a tough act to follow but what a gift to be playing the fascinating and greatly loved Queen Mother. Thrilled to be on board and working with such a top-notch team."

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O'Connor and Bailey are a part of a new group of actors taking over the main roles in Seasons 3 and 4 as the show jumps ahead in time. These new seasons will take place in the 1960s and feature events like England's 1966 World Cup win and the rise of legendary British rockers The Beatles, Deadline reported. New characters will also be introduced, like Camilla Parker Bowles, who later became Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, when she married Prince Charles following his split from Princess Diana.

O'Connor and Bailey will join previously announced new stars Olivia Colman and Helena Bonham Carter, who will take over the roles of the Queen and Princess Margaret, respectively, as previously portrayed by Claire Foye and Vanessa Kirby. Other new additions for The Crown Season 3 include Ben Daniels, who will play Margaret's husband, photographer and filmmaker Antony Armstrong-Jones, a role previously played by Matthew Goode. And Erin Doherty will star as Princess Anne, Elizabeth's only daughter, according to THR, and the streaming service has been releasing the first few photos of the actors in character over the past couple weeks.

While the show's original stars earned numerous accolades for their performances, the shake-up in casting was planned from the beginning, with series creator Peter Morgan telling Variety in 2016 that he intended to recast the roles as the characters got older, rather than relying on makeup and prosthetics.

He said:

"They would look ridiculous. It would be wrong. What’s so beautiful about Claire [Foy] is her youth. You can't ask someone to act middle-aged. Someone has to bring their own fatigue to it. The feelings we all have as 50 year olds are different than the feelings we all have as 30-year-olds. That informs everything we do."

Season 3 won't be available on Netflix until 2019, so fans of the show will have to wait to see the entire cast together on-screen, but hopefully we'll get a glimpse of O'Conner and Bailey in character before then.