First look at actors playing Prince William and his wife Kate in The Crown

Netflix released pictures of Ed McVey and Meg Bellamy as the royal couple in the hit TV show

Meg Bellamy plays Kate Middleton and Ed McVey takes on the role of Prince William in the sixth season of The Crown. Photo: Netflix

Netflix has released a first look at season six of The Crown with pictures of Ed McVey and Meg Bellamy as Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton.

One of the pictures features the two hand-in-hand, looking remarkably similar to their real-life counterparts.

The actors are both relative newcomers, especially when compared to the actors who have been previously cast in the series, including Olivia Colman, Matt Smith, Claire Foy and Helena Bonham Carter.

Bellamy, 19, was cast as Kate Middleton after submitting self-recorded auditions. She will be joined by McVey, 21, and Rufus Kampa, 16, who will both portray Prince William at differing stages in his life. Kampa will appear in episodes that explore how the British royal family coped with the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in August 1997. McVey will play the prince as he heads to the University of St Andrews, where he met his future wife.

Meg Bellamy was cast as Kate Middleton in The Crown after submitting self-recorded auditions. Photo: Netflix

"So excited to announce that I will be playing Kate Middleton in series six of Netflix’s The Crown,” Bellamy wrote on Instagram last year. “It is such an honour to be joining the most incredible cast and crew, and I will strive to do Kate justice.”

A highlight of season six will be exploring how Prince William and Middleton met. It will also focus on Princess Diana’s death and how the royal family dealt with the tragedy.

Many actors from season five will reprise their roles.

Imelda Staunton and Lesley Manville will be playing Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret respectively; Elizabeth Debicki will return in her role as Princess Diana; Jonathan Pryce will continue to depict Prince Philip; while Dominic West will play Prince Charles. Khalid Abdalla and Salim Daw will also return as Dodi and Mohamed Al-Fayed.

A release date is yet to be officially confirmed by Netflix, but it is expected that season six will premiere on the streaming platform this year. Filming began in September 2022, but was paused following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, and then again on the day of her funeral on September 19.

Scroll through the gallery below for more pictures from season five of The Crown

The cast of 'The Crown' season 5, back row, from left: Senan West, Dominic West, Elizabeth Debicki, Theo Fraser Steele, Claudia Harrison, Sam Woolf, James Murray; front row, from left: Will Powell, Marcia Warren, Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce, Lesley Manville. All photos: Netflix

Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II.

Jonny Lee Miller as prime minister John Major.

Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip.

Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana.

Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret and Timothy Dalton as Peter Townsend.

Dominic West, Teddy Hawley, Elizabeth Debicki and Timothee Sambor.

Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II.

Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana.

Prasanna Puwanarajah as Martin Bashir.

Dominic West as Prince Charles and Olivia Williams as Camilla.