'The Crown' Season 5 Images Give Us Our First Look At Dominic West As Prince Charles And Elizabeth Debicki As Princess Diana
Meet the new Prince Charles and Princess Diana: Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki. West and Debicki will be taking over the roles for The Crown season 5 as the Netflix series jumps forward in time yet again. When we last saw these characters/historical figures, they were played by Josh O'Connor and Emma Corrin, and their royal marriage was anything but a fairy tale. Now, The Crown season 5 will delve into the aftermath – and will likely feature Diana's tragic death. But I have only one question: will The Crown let Elizabeth Debicki be tall?
Dominic West as Prince Charles
I really have to commend the make-up, hair stylists, and costume department on The Crown. While I think we can all agree that Dominic West is a much better looking fellow than the real Prince Charles, West's wardrobe and hairstyle here immediately make you think of the real figure he's playing. It's impressive work, and it goes a long way toward making The Crown so successful.
When we last saw Charles, he was played by Josh O'Connor, and he was revealed to be an absolute monster. One of the most interesting things about The Crown season 4 was that it took the characters we had spent three seasons getting to know and sympathize with and revealed them to be cold, calculating, unfeeling creeps. I can't remember the last time a show featured such a heel-turn in regards to its main characters. The marriage between Charles and Diana was portrayed as anything but harmonious, and by the time season 4 ended, it was clear the marriage was doomed – especially since Charles continued to lust after his old flame, Camilla Parker Bowles (played by Promising Young Woman director Emerald Fennell). While we don't have all the details about The Crown season 5 just yet, it's safe to assume this new season will deal with Diana and Charles' divorce, and what came after.
Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana
Elizabeth Debicki is a tall woman – she's 6' 3". With that in mind, I'm very curious to see how the show will reconcile the drastic height difference between Deibcki and Emma Corrin, who is 5' 8" and played Diana in season 4. Will Diana spend the entire season sitting down or reclining on couches, as Debicki is seen doing here in this photo? In any case, Debicki is a phenomenal actress and I can't wait to see what she does with the role. Corrin was damn good in the part as well, but the nature of The Crown requires it to bring in new cast members, and thus we have to say goodbye to some performers sooner than we'd like. Diana was portrayed as a sad, tragic figure in season 4 – someone who was more or less emotionally destroyed by the royal family she just married into. Of course, everyone knows the story will only get more tragic from here, with Diana dying in a car crash.
In addition to West and Debicki, The Crown season 5 will feature Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, and Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret. No premiere date has been announced yet, but The Crown season 5 is expected to hit Netflix in 2022.