Imelda Staunton, who is rumoured to replace OIivia Colman in 'The Crown', was nominated for an Oscar in 2004 for her role in 'Vera Drake'. EPA
Imelda Staunton, who is rumoured to replace OIivia Colman in 'The Crown', was nominated for an Oscar in 2004 for her role in 'Vera Drake'. EPA
Imelda Staunton, who is rumoured to replace OIivia Colman in 'The Crown', was nominated for an Oscar in 2004 for her role in 'Vera Drake'. EPA
Imelda Staunton, who is rumoured to replace OIivia Colman in 'The Crown', was nominated for an Oscar in 2004 for her role in 'Vera Drake'. EPA

'The Crown': Imelda Staunton rumoured to be taking the throne after Olivia Colman


Emma Day
  • English
  • Arabic

She's only just been coronated as the newest iteration of Queen Elizabeth II, but rumours are already swirling over who will take over from Olivia Colman in The Crown.

The Oscar winner made her debut in the hit Netflix show on November 17, as she took over the mantle from Claire Foy to play Britain's monarch.

Colman, who took home Best Actress at this year's Academy Awards for her role in The Favourite, will play Her Majesty in seasons three and four of the show, which is charting Queen Elizabeth II's long-standing reign over a reported six seasons.

Though season three may have only just hit the streaming platform, speculation has turned to who will next take over the role and play the monarch in the final two seasons of the historical saga.

According to numerous reports, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix actress Imelda Staunton is the front-runner for the role, with the Daily Mail claiming the British star is in talks with Netflix.

If she does step into the Queen's shoes, 63-year-old Staunton will portray the monarch from the 1990s onwards, with season five set to trace the royal's years during Margaret Thatcher's premiership.

Netflix, however, downplayed rumours of Oscar-nominated Staunton's casting, releasing a statement that described the news as "speculation".

"We are currently filming season four of The Crown but have not commissioned any further seasons as yet," it read.

Season four of the show will introduce Gillian Anderson as Thatcher, and Emma Corrin as Princess Diana, with Tobias Menzies and Helena Bonham Carter continuing in their roles of Prince Philip and Princess Margaret.

The Crown is expected to run for six seasons, as Netflix's head of content, Ted Sarandos, suggested when the series first aired, meaning the next Queen would be the show's last. "The idea is to do this over six decades, in six seasons presumably, and make the whole show over eight to 10 years," he told The Hollywood Reporter.

The show's roles are recast every two seasons, to reflect the passing of time.

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Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

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THREE
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The biog

Date of birth: 27 May, 1995

Place of birth: Dubai, UAE

Status: Single

School: Al Ittihad private school in Al Mamzar

University: University of Sharjah

Degree: Renewable and Sustainable Energy

Hobby: I enjoy travelling a lot, not just for fun, but I like to cross things off my bucket list and the map and do something there like a 'green project'.

Retail gloom

Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.

It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.

The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Washmen Profile

Date Started: May 2015

Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Laundry

Employees: 170

Funding: about $8m

Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures

White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogenChromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxideUltramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica contentOphiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on landOlivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Virtuzone GCC Sixes

Date and venue Friday and Saturday, ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City

Time Matches start at 9am

Groups

A Blighty Ducks, Darjeeling Colts, Darjeeling Social, Dubai Wombats; B Darjeeling Veterans, Kuwait Casuals, Loose Cannons, Savannah Lions; Awali Taverners, Darjeeling, Dromedary, Darjeeling Good Eggs