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How the cast of Season 5 of 'The Crown' compares to the real life figures

New actors, same royals.

Season Five of "The Crown" will premiere on Netflix on Nov. 9, with an all-new cast of characters to lead the royal charge.

After Queen Elizabeth's recent passing at age 96, the royal family has extensively been in the public eye — making this season's release timing perfect for those yearning for an extra dose of royal drama.

Based on casting news and the chronology of "The Crown," we already have an idea as to the events Season Five will cover.

While the fourth season of "The Crown" focused on the start of the marriage between Princess Diana (Emma Corrin) and Prince Charles (Josh O'Connor), the fifth season — set in the early '90s — will show their separation and lives post-divorce.

As it creeps closer into the present day, the series has been the subject of controversy. Speaking to TODAY, the cast defends the show.

“I think empathy is very much in this series and has been from the very first season that they did,” Imelda Staunton, who succeeds Claire Foy and Olivia Colman who portrayed younger versions of the queen, told TODAY at a junket.

“That’s the point of a drama. If you’re showing characters, whether they’re real or not, surely you’re inviting the audience to look at it with kind eyes or at least try to understand the dilemmas of these characters.”

In Seasons Five and Six, Humayun Saeed joins as Diana's lover, Dr. Hasnat Khan; Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Fayed, Diana's boyfriend who died with her in a 1997 car accident.

Read on to see how the cast of Season Five of "The Crown" compares to their real-life counterparts.

Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II

(L) Queen Elizabeth ll visits the Chelsea Flower Show on May 20, 2002 in London, England.  (R) Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth ll on The Crown.
(L) Queen Elizabeth ll visits the Chelsea Flower Show on May 20, 2002 in London, England. (R) Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth ll on The Crown.Getty Images, Netflix

Known for her role in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" as Dolores Umbridge, Staunton will play Queen Elizabeth II in the next two seasons of "The Crown." Olivia Colman and Claire Foy previously played the queen, a task that Staunton called "daunting" in an interview with Variety.

"This particular part of history, an awful lot happens. There’s a lot of turmoil, which isn’t made up — these things happened. I think there’s a lot going on for people to take on this time around," Staunton said of Season Five to Entertainment Weekly.

Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip

(L) Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in Windsor, England. (R) Jonathan Pryce plays Prince Philip on The Crown.
(L) Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in Windsor, England. (R) Jonathan Pryce plays Prince Philip on The Crown.Getty Images, Splash

Jonathan Pryce, who you may recognize from "Game of Thrones" or "The Two Popes," will play Queen Elizabeth II's husband, Prince Philip. Prince Philip died in 2021, and now, he and the queen are laid to rest next to one another. Pryce takes over from Matt Smith and Tobias Menzies.

Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana

(L) Diana, Princess of Wales.  (R) Elizabeth Debicki is Princess Diana in season 5 of The Crown.
(L) Diana, Princess of Wales. (R) Elizabeth Debicki is Princess Diana in season 5 of The Crown.Getty Images, Splash News

Following Emma Corrin's performance of Princess Di comes Elizabeth Debicki, set to portray the royal as she imagines a life after being Princess of Wales. We're already looking forward to seeing Debicki in Diana's iconic revenge dress. As for where you've already seen Debicki? She's been in "Widows," "Tenet" and the "Guardians of the Galaxy" series.

First look photos show how effectively Debicki is channeling Diana.

EXCLUSIVE: Elizabeth Debicki as Lady Diana Spencer filming 'The Crown' In Mallorca Alongside Prince William Actor Rufus Kampa And Will Powell As Prince Harry
Elizabeth Debicki as Lady Diana Spencer filming 'The Crown' In Mallorca, Spain.Backgrid / SplashNews.com

“She is uniquely magnificent,” Peter Morgan, creator of "The Crown," told Entertainment Weekly of Debicki. “It was a list of one. Had she said no, I might have had to reconceive the entire show.”

Dominic West as Prince Charles

(L) Prince Charles In Budapest, Hungary on May 9, 1990. (L) Dominic West as Prince Charles in Season 5 of The Crown.
(L) Prince Charles In Budapest, Hungary on May 9, 1990. (L) Dominic West as Prince Charles in Season 5 of The Crown.Getty Images, Netflix

Dominic West of "The Affair" will step into the role of Prince Charles (now King Charles III in real life). With this season of "The Crown" likely to depict much of the rough patches of his relationship with Diana, we're set to see a dynamic performance from West. The actor Josh O'Connor played Prince Charles in previous seasons.

"He’s a fascinating man, Charles, and it’s a fascinating life, and a fascinating role. I mean, apart from anything else, it’s a huge show, and I loved the first four seasons. I realized that I could very happily live with this character for two years," West told Entertainment Weekly.

Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Fayed

Khalid Abdalla (R) play Diana's boyfriend, Dodi Fayed (L) in"The Crown."
Khalid Abdalla (R) play Diana's boyfriend, Dodi Fayed (L) in"The Crown."Getty Images, Netflix

Dodi Fayed, who was romantically linked to Diana in the summer of 1997, died by her side in a fatal car accident in Paris. Abdalla said in an interview with the Independent that Fayed, who was a film producer and business owner in addition to being the son of billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed, was never really mourned by the public because "he’s never really been known."

Salim Dau as Mohamed Al Fayed

Salim Dau (R) play Mohamed Al-Fayed (L).
Salim Dau (R) play Mohamed Al-Fayed (L).Getty Images, Netflix

Salim Dau, an Israeli actor, will play Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed, the father of Dodi, in Season Five of “The Crown.”

Claudia Harrison as Princess Anne

(L) British Royal Princess Anne during a visit to the Upper Volta, West Africa, Feb. 24, 1984. (L) Claudia Harrison as Princess Anne, Elizabeth and Philip’s second child and only daughter.
(L) British Royal Princess Anne during a visit to the Upper Volta, West Africa, Feb. 24, 1984. (L) Claudia Harrison as Princess Anne, Elizabeth and Philip’s second child and only daughter.Getty Images, Splash News

Claudia Harrison ("The IT Crowd") will bring her regal nature on set with her as she portrays Princess Anne, the second child and only daughter of Elizabeth and Philip. She is replacing Erin Doherty, who played the royal in Seasons Three and Four.

James Murray as Prince Andrew

(L)  Prince Andrew, Duke Of York at Princess Beatrice's School Sports Day. (R) James Murray as Prince Andrew, Elizabeth and Philip’s third child.
(L) Prince Andrew, Duke Of York at Princess Beatrice's School Sports Day. (R) James Murray as Prince Andrew, Elizabeth and Philip’s third child.Getty Images, Splash News

Season Five will feature James Murray ("6 Underground") as Prince Andrew. Tom Byrne previously played Elizabeth and Philip's third child who has come under scrutiny in recent years.

Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles

(R) Camilla Parker Bowles, arrives to open the Botnar Research Center on Oct. 22, 2003. (L) Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles, now queen consort.
(R) Camilla Parker Bowles, arrives to open the Botnar Research Center on Oct. 22, 2003. (L) Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles, now queen consort.PA Images via Getty Images, Splash News

Olivia Williams will step into the role of Camilla Parker Bowles, now queen consort in real life. Camilla married King Charles III in 2005 following a long history and has two children from a previous marriage. Williams is a prolific English actor who also starred in the royal drama "Victoria & Abdul," "An Education" and "Anna Karenina."

Marcia Warren as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother

(L) The Queen Mother visiting Ronald Gibson House, a nursing home in Tooting, London on June 2,  1992. (R) Marcia Warren as Elizabeth II’s mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
(L) The Queen Mother visiting Ronald Gibson House, a nursing home in Tooting, London on June 2, 1992. (R) Marcia Warren as Elizabeth II’s mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.Getty Images

Marcia Warren will play the mother of Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret in the upcoming season of "The Crown." She was previously played by Marion Bailey in Seasons Three and Four, and Victoria Hamilton at the start of the show.

Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret

(L) Princess Margaret at the Horder Medical Center For Sufferers Of Arthritis.  (R) Lesley Manville as Elizabeth’s younger sister, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon.
(L) Princess Margaret at the Horder Medical Center For Sufferers Of Arthritis. (R) Lesley Manville as Elizabeth’s younger sister, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon.Getty Images

Lesley Manville, who recently starred in the feature film "Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris," will play Princess Margaret in Season Five. Margaret was previously played by Vanessa Kirby and Helena Bonham Carter.

Speaking to Hello Magazine, Manville said she found getting into character as Princess Margaret difficult, compared to Mrs. Harris. "I’m a working-class girl from Brighton, so the territory of Mrs Harris is kind of in my bones whereas (Princess Margaret is) the other end of the social scale — and let’s face it, you couldn’t get more aristocratic than the royal family," she said.

Jonny Lee Miller as Prime Minister John Major

(L) Former Prime Minister John Major. (R) Jonny Lee Miller as John Major, Prime Minister.
(L) Former Prime Minister John Major. (R) Jonny Lee Miller as John Major, Prime Minister.Getty Images

After Gillian Anderson's portrayal of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Jonny Lee Miller will facilitate making the switch from Thatcher to Major.

Emma Laird Craig as Sarah Ferguson

(L) Sarah, Duchess Of York at Princess Beatrice's School Sports Day. (R) Emma Laird Craig as Sarah, Duchess of York, Andrew’s wife.
(L) Sarah, Duchess Of York at Princess Beatrice's School Sports Day. (R) Emma Laird Craig as Sarah, Duchess of York, Andrew’s wife.Getty Images, Splash News

This is Emma Laird Craig's first breakout role, and it's easy to see why — her auburn hair perfectly matches the fiery locks of Sarah Ferguson, Prince Andrew's ex-wife.


CORRECTION (Oct. 10, 2022 at 9:30 p.m. ET): An earlier version of this story incorrectly called the late Princess Diana the Princess of Windsor. She was the Princess of Wales and this story has been updated to reflect her correct title.