The Crown Is on the Hunt For a Young Kate Middleton
Calling all “exceptional young actor[s]”: Netflix is officially on the hunt for someone up to the job of portraying a young Kate Middleton in The Crown season 6. “This is a good role in this award-winning drama and we are looking for a strong physical resemblance,” read a casting call posted by department associate Kate Bone and confirmed by Variety, which was accompanied by photos of the 40-year-old Duchess of Cambridge in the early 2000s. From the sound of it, that means whoever plays Middleton will have to be down to wear the see-through dress that reportedly made a then 19-year-old William fall for his fellow University of St. Andrews freshman back in 2001. As for who will play William, Netflix is also on the hunt for an actor between the ages of 16 and 21 (as well as an actor aged 16-20 to play Prince Harry).
The sixth and final installment of the hit series will be set in the 21st century, though it will stop short of delving into anything related to Meghan Markle. (Production is set to start in late August, and Netflix hopes to cast the young actors within the next two months.) This being the royals, there are still plenty of scandals besides “Megxit” to explore. The same year that William fell for Kate—whose strapless bra and underwear were somewhat infamously on full display at that fateful charity student fashion show—Harry was in his peak troublemaking days. The royal’s penchant for partying in the years after the death of his mother, Princess Diana, reportedly led Prince Charles to arrange for a day visit to a rehabilitation facility to show him the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
Kate, William, and Harry are among the final roles Netflix has left to fill. The streaming service has confirmed that Dominic West will play Prince Charles opposite Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana in seasons 5 and 6. Casting director Robert Sterne has made it clear that the younger royals need not be nearly as established: The calls for Kate, William, and Harry all stated that no previous professional acting experience is required. If you’re in your late teens or early twenties, you have the next two weeks to get working on your acting chops for the audition video.
