The upcoming fifth season of Netflix hit The Crown will see another cast switch up, as Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce and Dominic West take over the roles of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and Charles respectively.
As it turns out, West had to deliberate whether to take the role given his own personal connection with Charles, who he has met on multiple occasions – and he has also shared a cheeky comment that Charles’s wife Camilla, now Queen Consort, made to him after he was cast.
West told this week’s Radio Times magazine that when he saw Camilla at a party in 2021, she cheekily called him “Your Majesty”, appearing to signal her approval or acceptance of the casting.
West also revealed in this interview that upon deciding to take the role on, he offered his resignation as an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, in case it would be perceived as a conflict of interests considering Charles’s role with the charity.
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West revealed that the resignation was refused in a letter from Charles’s private secretary and that the letter said, in essence, “You do what you like, you’re an actor. It’s nothing to do with us.”
West explained: “I think that’s probably how [Charles] regards it. I’ve been in a line to shake his hand a few times and it’s fascinating. It’s very useful to meet the character you’re playing, obviously.”
Ahead of the show’s fifth season, which will be first to air following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II earlier this year, and with season 6 currently in production, the series’s creator Peter Morgan spoke of the “complex feelings” he experienced upon hearing of Her Majesty’s death while filming the drama.
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You can watch seasons 1-4 of The Crown right now on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £6.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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