The Crown is chasing its next Prince Charles. Josh O’Connor has been playing the young Prince of Wales in the hit royal drama in its third and upcoming fourth season, but the role will be recast as the Netflix show heads into the 1990s. And, according to the latest word from Deadline, Dominic West is currently in talks to take over the coveted part.
It’s been a busy past few days for West when it comes to grabbing headlines, as last week he garnered a lot of attention after intimate photos of the married 51-year-old and 31-year-old The Pursuit of Love co-star Lily James were shared online. Ironically, if West does land the role of the prince, he’ll be portraying Charles during the period he had an affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles (his second and current wife) while still married to Princess Diana.
West, who’s also known for his turns in The Wire, Tomb Raider and again, ironically, The Affair, would be the fourth cast member to join the final two seasons of The Crown if he signs along the dotted line. Imelda Staunton has been named as the third actress to play Queen Elizabeth II on the show, with Jonathan Pryce as Prince Phillip and Leslie Manville as Princess Margaret.
Looking closer to home, though, and we know that Diana will be introduced in the series in season 4, as played by newcomer Emma Corrin. Netflix recently revealed the first trailer for the upcoming run which teased a deep dive into the private unhappiness of Charles and Diana’s marriage that was covered up at the time. You can expect to see that and more when the 10-episode season drops on the streaming service on November 15th. After that, The Crown will take a year off before season 5 airs in 2022.