Australian actor Elizabeth Debicki has been cast to play the late Princess Diana in the final two seasons of The Crown.
The Netflix series, which has gained popularity for its accurate portrayal of the British royal family, is set to release season four sometime in 2020, which means Debicki will play the role in seasons five and six.
During its final hoorah, the story will pick up in 1990 — after Diana (then 29-years-old) and Prince Charles’ (played by returning actor Josh O’Connor), turbulent marriage comes to an end. The series will portray the final years of her life, culminating in the Paris car accident which took her life.
In a statement, Debicki, 29, said that it was a “privilege” to play the role of someone whose “spirit, her words and her actions live in the hearts of so many”.
“It is my privilege and honour to be joining this masterful series, which has had me absolutely hooked from episode one,” she said.
The final part of The Crown will also show the behind-the-scenes and subsequent fallout of what went on after Diana’s bombshell interview in 1995.
During the interview with Panorama, Princess Diana detailed her “crowded” marriage between her, Charles and his then affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles.
Elizabeth Debicki will play Princess Diana in the final two seasons of The Crown (Seasons 5 and 6). pic.twitter.com/Z3CjHuJ56B
— The Crown (@TheCrownNetflix) August 16, 2020
The series has followed the royal family from the late 1940s to now and each time period has seen new actors take on the pivotal roles.
Princess Diana will be played by actor Emma Corin in seasons three and four before Debicki takes over for the final instalments.
As for the other roles, Claire Foy and Matt Smith were the original Queen and Prince Phillip, before being replaced by Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies and then finally will be played by Imelda Staunton and Jonathan Pryce.
Actor Josh O’Connor, who has played Charles for seasons three and four, will reprise the role for five and six.
Debicki made her acting debut in The Great Gatsby opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in 2013. She has also had roles in Guy Ritchie’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E (2015), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) and Widows (2018). Most recently, she starred in The Burnt Orange Heresy (2020) and has a role in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet (2020),