Jonathan Pryce Cast as The Crown's Final Prince Philip Opposite Imelda Staunton as the Queen

The Duke of Edinburgh was previously played by Matt Smith and is currently portrayed on the show by Tobias Menzies

Jonathan Pryce; Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Jonathan Pryce; Prince Philip. Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty Images; Alastair Grant - WPA Pool/Getty Images

The Crown has found its new — and final — Prince Philip.

On Thursday, Netflix announced that British actor Jonathan Pryce has been cast to play the Queen’s husband in the fifth and sixth seasons of the hit streaming series.

The Oscar-nominated actor, 73, will be taking over the role from fellow Game of Thrones alum Tobias Menzies, who portrayed Philip during the series' third and upcoming fourth seasons, and from Matt Smith, who originated the role in the series' first two seasons. Pryce will also star opposite Imelda Staunton, who is set to play Queen Elizabeth, and Lesley Manville, who will take over the role of Princess Margaret.

"I am delighted to be working with Netflix again. The positive experience I had making The Two Popes has given me the confidence to tackle the daunting prospect of portraying Prince Philip," Pryce said in a quote shared on The Crown's Twitter account. "To be doing so with Peter Morgan in the company of Imelda and Lesley will be a joy."

Pryce is best known for his work on screen, where he starred in works such as The Pirates of the Caribbean and the James Bond flick, Tomorrow Never Dies, as well as for his time in the theater, including his award-winning performance in the title role of the Royal Court Theatre's Hamlet.

Although Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's exit from royal life and the scandal surrounding Prince Andrew’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein have dominated headlines in recent months, the storylines will not make it to The Crown — and it was never the intention to cover the royal family up to the modern era.

Executive producer Suzanne Mackie told the Press Association earlier this month: "To be honest, whatever the life of The Crown is after where we are now, I doubt we’ll ever go as far into the present day."

Olivia Colman The Crown
Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth. Sophie Mutevelian/Netflix

After previously announcing that The Crown will end after the fifth season, creator Peter Morgan changed his mind and decided to end the hit series after season six.

"As we started to discuss the storylines for Series 5, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons," Morgan said. "To be clear, Series 6 will not bring us any closer to present-day — it will simply enable us to cover the same period in greater detail."

Season six will bring the story up to the early 2000s — long before Kate Middleton and Meghan joined the royal family.

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The Crown‘s fourth season is set to premiere later this year, as production wrapped before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down TV production in the U.K.

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