#The Crown Casts Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret

The Crown has found its Princess Margaret.

Netflix confirmed Thursday that Lesley Manville will succeed Helena Bonham-Carter in the Emmy winning drama’s fifth and final season. 

“I could not be happier to be playing Princess Margaret,” Manville said via The Crown’s official Twitter account.

“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.”

Staunton was previously announced to be joining the cast as Queen Elizabeth II in January, taking over the role from Olivia Colman. 

Vanessa Kirby initially played Princess Margaret on the first two seasons, before Bonham-Carter took over during the third season. 

Manville scored Oscar and BAFTA nominations for her role in Phantom Thread. More recently, she narrated HBO Max dramedy Love Life. 

While it was initially expected to run six seasons, Netflix announced in January that Season 5 would be the final chapter of the series. 

“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,” said Peter Morgan, who created the series in a statement at the time.

“I’m grateful to Netflix and Sony for supporting me in this decision.”

Staunton was also confirmed to be taking over from Colman at that point. 

“I have loved watching The Crown from the very start,” said Staunton at the time.

“As an actor it was a joy to see how both Claire Foy and Olivia Colman brought something special and unique to Peter Morgan’s scripts.”

“I am genuinely honoured to be joining such an exceptional creative team and to be taking The Crown to its conclusion.”

The Crown has been a resounding success for Netflix, winning several awards, and drawing a lot of praise from viewers and critics. 

Before fans get to see Manville in the role, they still have Season 4 on the way. There’s no telling when it might get a premiere date, but given the recent wave of COVID-19 shutdowns, it’s possible it could be late 2021. 

What are your thoughts on this casting news?

Hit the comments below. 

Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.