{"id":3328,"date":"2021-08-19T17:33:18","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T15:33:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1322958"},"modified":"2021-08-19T17:48:08","modified_gmt":"2021-08-19T15:48:08","slug":"the-crown-casts-natasha-mcelhone-as-prince-philips-close-friend-penny-knatchbull","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/the-crown-casts-natasha-mcelhone-as-prince-philips-close-friend-penny-knatchbull\/","title":{"rendered":"The Crown casts Natasha McElhone as Prince Philip\u2019s close friend Penny Knatchbull"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Californication and Designated Survivor star joins an already star-studded cast for series five. <\/p>

By Patrick Cremona\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 19 August 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Just a few days after confirming that Dominic West is set to play Prince Charles<\/a> in the upcoming fifth series, The Crown<\/a> has revealed another new cast member.<\/p>\n

The Mirror<\/a> reports that Californication and Designated Survivor star Natasha McElhone is set to take on the role of Penny Knatchbull, a close friend of Prince Phillip.<\/p>\n

RadioTimes.com<\/a> has contacted Netflix for confirmation.<\/p>\n

Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma is the wife of Norton Knatchbull, the cousin once removed of the late Prince Phillip \u2013 and she was one of only 30 mourners in attendance at the Duke of Edinburgh\u2019s funeral earlier this year.<\/p>

McElhone joins an already star-studded list of actors for the fifth series, with an all-new cast set to star in the major roles.<\/p>\n

Imelda Staunton will be taking over from Olivia Colman in the main role as Queen Elizabeth II, while Jonathan Pryce and Lesley Manville will star as Prince Phillip and Princess Margaret \u2013 previously played by Tobias Menzies and Helena Bonham Carter respectively.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile other confirmed new cast members include Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana, Jonny Lee Miller as former Prime Minister John Major and Olivia Williams\u00a0as\u00a0Camilla Parker Bowles.<\/p>\n

And there are still some cast members yet to be announced \u2013 with no name currently attached to the role of Tony Blair, who is expected to be heavily involved in the series.<\/p>\n

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We\u2019re still waiting for official news on when The Crown\u2019s fifth series will be released, but we do know that it won\u2019t be the last season \u2013 despite Creator Peter Morgan previously revealing that the show would end after series five.<\/p>\n

Morgan\u2019s said in a statement tweeted by Netflix<\/a>: \u201cAs we started to discuss the storylines for series five, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cTo be clear, series six will not bring us any closer to present-day \u2013 it will simply enable us to cover the same period in greater detail.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Crown seasons 1-4 are available on Netflix.\u00a0<\/strong>If you\u2019re looking for more to watch, check out the\u00a0best series on Netflix<\/a>\u00a0or the\u00a0best movies on Netflix<\/a>. Y<\/strong>ou can also plan your viewing our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0or visit our dedicated\u00a0Drama<\/a>\u00a0hub for the latest news.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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