The Crown has cast an unknown actress as Princess Diana

10 April 2019, 10:06

By Tom Eames

The Crown season 3 is only a few months away on Netflix, and the royal period drama has found its Princess Diana.

Newcomer Emma Corrin will play Diana Spencer as she was then known, in the fourth season of The Crown, which will be filmed later this year.

Corrin said she was "beyond excited" to be joining the show, which is a dramatised history of the British royal family.

The Crown season 3: All the details you need to know

"Princess Diana was an icon, and her effect on the world remains profound and inspiring," she said.

Diana Spencer in 1980
Diana Spencer in 1980. Picture: Getty

The Crown jumps a few years between each season, with every two seasons bringing in an older cast to play the likes of The Queen and Prince Philip.

Olivia Colman makes her debut as Queen Elizabeth II in the upcoming third season, taking over from Claire Foy.

Princess Diana won't appear as a character until the show's fourth season, which is expected to be released in 2020.

Who is Emma Corrin?

The Crown's creator Peter Morgan described Emma Corrin as a "brilliant talent" who "immediately captivated" casting directors.

Emma Corrin will play Princess Diana
Emma Corrin will play Princess Diana. Picture: IMDB/Netflix

The actress will soon make her film debut in Misbehavior, a historical drama about a group of of women from the Women's Liberation Movement as they attempt to disrupt the 1970 Miss World beauty pageant in London.

Her only other major role before this was in an episode of ITV drama Grantchester.