British actor Dominic West will take on the role of Prince Charles in the coming season of The Crown, according to Josh O'Connor, who has been playing the prince in the past two seasons of the hit Netflix show.
"Playing that character has brought me a lot of joy. But it's lovely to come away and go 'Great. Now hand it over to Dominic West'," O'Connor told GQ Magazine in what is being perceived as a slip of tongue.
There have been reports since 2020 that West, best known for his role in The Wire, was in talks to take over the princely mantle from O'Connor for the show's final two seasons. However, this is the first time someone from the show has confirmed that West will be portraying the future king in the award-winning show.
If West indeed nabs the part, he will star opposite Tenet's Elizabeth Debicki, who will be taking over the role of Princess Diana from Emma Corrin.
The previous season portrayed the beginnings of the turbulent relationship between the Princess and Prince of Wales, so much so that it drove UK's Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden to tell the Daily Mail that producers should make it clear The Crown was a work of fiction. Netflix soon responded saying it saw "no need" to add the disclaimer to the series.
In its fifth and sixth seasons, the show will delve deeper into the couple's marriage, as well as Prince Charles's affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, so it will almost certainly be as much a magnet of controversy as the show's previous instalments.
The casting choice is already drawing some ire from a number of Twitter users, who are pointing out the irony of West taking on the role of Prince Charles when he himself was in hot water for his highly publicised extramarital affair with English actress Lily James just last year.
"Dominic West as Prince Charles in The Crown season five and season six is literally a nightmare. They're really gonna give the cheater role to irl [in real life] cheater," wrote a fan on their Twitter page.
still can’t believe that dominic west is going to be in the crown fgs
— sammy (@drastoriaa) March 30, 2021
However, don't wait for the coming seasons with bated breath as filming hasn't even begun yet. The show is scheduled to resume filming some time this summer, with season five scheduled to release in 2022.
