'The Crown' Has Cast Its Final Princess Margaret, So Bow Down
The Crown has been one of Netflix's crown jewels since the show debuted in 2016. It's been a maker of careers, turning Claire Foy into a household name, as well as an institution where the creme de la creme of British actors go for a short streaming stint. With Season 5 announced as the show's swan song, The Crown has already announced Imelda Staunton will play the final Queen Elizabeth. Now, The Crown has cast Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, creating a final royal set of worth successors to Olivia Colman and Helena Bonham-Carter.
The Crown was originally set to run six seasons, with the idea of taking the Royal family up to the mid-aughts. That would have meant the show would get to stage Charles and Camilla's wedding, among other things. However, the show seems to have reconsidered covering the new century. Instead, The Crown will now end with Season 5, running up through the death of Princess Diana. Though fans do not know what year the series plans to conclude with, it's a good guess it will end with Queen Elizabeth having to rebuild the monarchy's reputation once more.
That said, ending before the millennium also means the show won't cover the passing of Princess Margaret, who died in 2002. Instead, the new and final actress to play the princess, Lesley Manville, will end on a more cheerful note, standing by her sister's side.
American audiences most recently saw Manville in the PBS series World on Fire opposite Sean Bean. Fans may also recognize her as part of the fairy trio in the Maleficent franchise. (She plays Flittle.)
Along with the Netflix announcement, Manville put out a statement saying how thrilled she was to be pairing with Staunton for The Crown's final season, and she will not let the franchise down.
I could not be happier to be playing Princess Margaret. The baton is being passed on from two formidable actresses and I really don't want to let the side down. Furthermore, to play siblings with my dear friend Imelda Staunton will be nothing short of a complete joy.
Meanwhile, The Crown Season 4 is expected to arrive on Netflix sometime towards the end of 2020.
