Lesley Manville Will Play ‘The Crown’s Final Princess Margaret in Season 5
The Crown has found its final Princess Margaret. The role, which Vanessa Kirby occupied for the Netflix drama’s first two seasons before handing it over to Helena Bonham-Carter in Season 3, will now go to Lesley Manville, who received an Oscar nomination in 2018 for her arch performance as Cyril Woodcock in Phantom Thread.
In a statement posted on The Crown’s Twitter account, Manville wrote, “I could not be happier to be playing Princess Margaret. 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.”
Netflix announced Staunton as the show’s last Queen Elizabeth in January—at the same time that the show’s creator, Peter Morgan, confirmed that Season 5 would be the period show’s last, despite initial plans to run for longer.