The News Is In!

Lesley Manville will play Princess Margaret in the fifth season of The Crown. pic.twitter.com/R5aZEBOW0t

— The Crown (@TheCrownNetflix) July 2, 2020

According to Deadline, Netflix confirmed that Manville has signed up for the fifth and final season of the lavish royal drama, which will begin shooting next year. This follows the addition of Imelda Staunton, who is replacing Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II.

Manville gushed in a statement to Netflix about the exciting news, saying:

"I could not be happier to be playing Princess Margaret. The baton is being passed on from two formidable actresses and I really don't want to let the side down. Furthermore, to play siblings with my dear friend Imelda Staunton will be nothing short of a complete joy."

What Seasons Four And Five Will Look Like

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Imelda Staunton will play Queen Elizabeth II in the fifth and final season of The Crown.

A post shared by The Crown (@thecrownnetflix) on Jan 31, 2020 at 7:11am PST

E! News goes on to reveal that season four will see the introduction of Princess Diana, the addition of Prince William, and more. Even though the fourth season has not yet aired, E! News confirmed that it is set to star Colman, Bonham Carter, Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip, Ben Daniels as Antony Armstrong-Jones, Josh O'Connor as Prince Charles, Erin Doherty as Princess Anne and Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher.

The beloved Netflix series will end at season five with Staunton playing the role of Queen Elizabeth. Creator Peter Morgan saying to E! News:

"I'm absolutely thrilled to confirm Imelda Staunton as Her Majesty The Queen for the fifth and final season, taking The Crown into the 21st Century. Imelda is an astonishing talent and will be a fantastic successor to Claire Foy and Olivia Colman. At the outset I had imagined The Crown running for six seasons but now that we have begun work on the stories for season five it has become clear to me that this is the perfect time and place to stop. I'm grateful to Netflix and Sony for supporting me in this decision."

Vice President of Original Content of Netflix Cindy Holland backed up Morgan's statement, saying to E! News:

"The first three seasons of The Crown defined an era, and I know the upcoming fourth season will build further on that success. It's a stunning example of award-winning entertainment, created in the UK and loved by millions of fans around the world. I fully support Peter Morgan's creative decision and am excited to see how he, Imelda Staunton and the cast and crew of season five, bring this landmark series to a fitting and spectacular end."