The Crown Takes Its Next Princess Margaret From Phantom Thread
Helena Bonham Carter will pass the torch playing the wild child princess to Lesley Manville in the final season of the Netflix royal drama.
There are plenty of history lessons to take away from watching The Crown, but it is undeniable that every season, it’s the Queen’s younger sister Princess Margaret and her rebellious antics that capture the audience’s attention and keep people tuning in for more.
It was announced that for the fifth and final season, taking on the role of the wild child princess will be Lesley Manville.
In the first two seasons, Princess Margaret was portrayed by Vanessa Kirby, and in the third and fourth she was played by Helena Bonham Carter. Earlier this year, Carter was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in the third season. The fourth season does not yet have a release date, but is expected to come at the end of this year. Playing Queen Elizabeth II in the fifth season is Imelda Staunton (known to most American audiences as the villainous Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter series).
Though it was initially teased as a six season project by creator Peter Morgan, the fifth season of The Crown will be its last. This means the show will stop before any current royal drama revolving around Meghan Markle and Prince Harry (or even Prince Andrew and his connections to Jeffrey Epstein).
The Crown vs. Reality: What Princess Margaret’s U.S. Tour Really Looked Like
Lord Snowdon and Princess Margaret at the Lincoln memorial in Washington D.C. during their royal tour of America in November 1965.
Princess Margaret at the Hilton Hotel for a charity luncheon and fashion show in San Francisco during her and Lord Snowdon’s royal tour of America in November 1965.
Princess Margaret with Alfred Hitchcock on a set visit of his film Torn Curtain at Universal City Studios in California, during their royal tour of America in November 1965.
Guests chatting during a state dinner for Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon at the White House in Washington, D.C. during their royal tour of America in November 1965.
Julie Robinson and Harry Belafonte arriving to a party for Princess Margaret at the Four Seasons restaurant in New York during her royal tour of America in November 1965.
Lord Snowdon sitting on a fence next to Princess Margaret on a visit to a ranch in Arizona during their royal tour of America in November 1965.
Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon in San Francisco during their royal tour of America in November 1965.
Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow arriving to a black-tie party for Princess Margaret at the Bistro Restaurant in Hollywood during her royal tour of America in November 1965.
President Lyndon Johnson dancing with Princess Margaret, while Lady Bird Johnson sits with Lord Snowdon at a state dinner for the royals during their visit to America in November 1965.
Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon in San Francisco during their royal visit to America in November 1965.
Princess Margaret and Bob Hope at a ball for the World Adoption International Fund in Hollywood during their royal tour of America in November 1965.
Lady Bird Johnson and Princess Margaret pose for photographers inn the Queen’s room at the White House in Washington, D.C. during the royal tour of America in 1965.
Lord Snowdon and Princess Margaret walking through Boac terminal in New York upon their arrival to the United States for their royal tour of America in November 1965.
Lord Snowdon on a horse with Princess Margaret at a ranch owned by Lewis Douglas, former U.S. ambassador to Great Britain, during their royal tour of America in November 1965.
Lord Snowdon, Princess Margaret, and Caltech president Lee Alvin DuBridge touring the California Institute of Technology campus in Pasadena, California during the royal tour of America in November 1965.
Lord Snowdon and Princess Margaret with Lady Bird Johnson and President Lyndon Johnson at a state dinner for the royals at the White House in Washington, D.C. during their tour of America in November 1965.
Lord Snowdon and Princess Margaret riding a tram in San Francisco during their royal tour of America in 1965.
It is estimated that because of the way the series is constructed around Prime Minister terms, this final season will include the rise of Prime Minister John Major from 1990 to 1997, and the subsequent rise of the New Labour party and leadership by Tony Blair. 1997 is also the year that Princess Diana passed away in a car accident, which could very possibly be included in the final season of The Crown.
If Manville’s Oscar-nominated turn as Sybil, the icy sister to Daniel Day Lewis’s Reynolds Woodcock in Phantom Thread is any indication, her take on the unruly, cocktail drinking Princess Margaret should be equally as enchanting.
Related: The Crown Will End Early, Bypassing Any Meghan Markle Drama
