Here's who will play Princess Diana in Season 5 of The Crown - and what the series is about

(Photo: Frazer Harrison/JAMAL A. WILSON/AFP via Getty Images)(Photo: Frazer Harrison/JAMAL A. WILSON/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo: Frazer Harrison/JAMAL A. WILSON/AFP via Getty Images)

It's been announced that Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki will portray Diana, Princess of Wales in the upcoming fifth season of Netflix's The Crown.

Princess Diana is yet to appear in The Crown, but will make her onscreen appearance in Season 4, due for release later this year.

However, she will be played in the first instance by British actress, Emma Corrin.

Here's everything you need to know:

Who is Elizabeth Debicki?

29-year-old Debicki is known for her roles in films like The Great Gatsby and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.

She has also appeared in British TV drama The Night Manager, and is set for a starring role in Christopher Nolan's upcoming spy thriller Tenet, which has been beset by multiple Covid-triggered delays.

In a statement posted by The Crown's official Twitter account, Debicki said: "Princess Diana's spirit, her words and her actions live in the hearts of so many."

"It is my true privilege and honour to be joining this masterful series, which has had me absolutely hooked from episode one."

Who else will be in The Crown Season 5?

To reflect its ageing subjects, The Crown regularly recruits older actors to portray its main characters.

The third series saw Olivia Colman take over the reins as Queen Elizabeth II from Claire Foy, to represent the monarch’s older years.

Colman will stay in the role through the fourth season, but will be replaced by Imelda Staunton for season five.

At one point, Jim Broadbent was favourite to take over as Prince Phillip, but it's since been confirmed that Oscar-nominated actor Jonathan Pryce will follow in the footsteps of Matt Smith and Tobias Menzies.

It's also been announced that Lesley Manville will play Princess Margaret, taking over from Helena Bonham Carter.

What will Season 5 cover?

It is thought that Season 5 of The Crown will take place between the years of 1992 and 2002, a period of time that the Queen described as her “annus horribilis”.

During that time, her sons Princes Charles and Andrew both split from their wives, Princess Diana tragically died (with the Queen drawing public ire over her delayed response), and the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret died within weeks of each other in 2002.

Where else will Diana be onscreen?

Debicki's casting as Diana is not the only big Princess of Wales news in recent weeks.

In June, it was confirmed Kristen Stewart is set to play the Princess in new film Spencer, which will tell the story of The People’s Princess’ break-up from Prince Charles.

The movie will tell the story of a weekend at the royal family’s Sandringham estate in the run-up to Christmas, charting Diana’s realisation that her marriage to Prince Charles wasn’t working, and her need to change course from a path that put her in line to one day be queen.

Spencer won’t deal with Diana’s tragic death years later, but in zooming in on one particularly emotionally turbulent moment in her life, the film hopes to present a “story about identity.”

The script is being written by British screenwriter Steven Knight, perhaps best known for his work on Peaky Blinders.