Netflix is preparing for one of its biggest original series finales, with Season 6 of royal drama The Crown set to be hitting screens before the end of the year.
First debuting in 2016, the show dramatized the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II and her family, from national triumphs to personal tragedies, and it will conclude after 60 action packed episodes.
In an announcement on October 9, the streaming giant revealed that the final 10 episodes will be released in two installments, the first of which will hit screens on November 16 and the second on December 14.
The series has become well-known for its rotational casting, with leading actors playing the characters including Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and Prince Charles for two seasons before being replaced. This eliminated the need to “age up” actors with makeup over the course of the seven decades shown on screen.
Season 6 features several newcomers to the cast, principally those playing the younger royals: Prince William (Ed McVey), Prince Harry (Luther Ford) and Kate Middleton (Meg Bellamy).
Here Newsweek looks at everything we know about the actor playing Prince William in season 6 of The Crown.
Who Is Ed McVey?
Ed McVey is a British actor who will be making his on-screen debut as Prince William.
Not much is known about the young star’s background. McVey studied at the prestigious Drama Centre London, an acting school that counts a number of British stars among its alumni, such as Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan.
After graduating in 2021, McVey joined the Young Vic theatre production of the play Camp Siegfried, set in 1930s Germany about the radicalization of American youth and written by American playwright Bess Wohl. McVey was understudy for the male lead.
In September 2022, Netflix announced that McVey would take over the role of Prince William in The Crown for the latter part of the series’ sixth season.
William will begin the season being played by actor Rufus Kampa. It’s expected that McVey will take over in the second installment of episodes, which will portray the prince’s college years.
Writing on Instagram at the time his casting was announced, McVey said: “Ahhhhh the big news is now out!!! I’m absolutely buzzing to be given the opportunity to play Prince William in #thecrown in Series 6!!! Along side the amazing @megkbellamy Gunna be an amazing shoot can’t wait to learn all I can!”
What Storylines Will Feature Prince William in The Crown‘s Final Season?
Season 6 of The Crown will dramatize some of the most turbulent years of Prince William’s adolescence, beginning with the summer of 1997.
Aged 15, William was staying with his father, Prince Charles (played by Dominic West) and grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda Staunton), when news broke that Princess Diana had died from injuries sustained in a Paris car crash.
On the day the news broke, William and Prince Harry were photographed attending the traditional Sunday church service with their family at Balmoral Castle and they traveled back to London five days later to attend their mother’s funeral.
William has rarely spoken about this period in his life, though he acknowledged the tragedy and impact of his mother’s death on him in interviews marking the 20th anniversary in 2017.
William famously met weeping mourners before the funeral outside Kensington Palace with Prince Harry and walked behind his mother’s coffin as millions watched around the world.
The events surrounding the princess’ death are expected to be covered in the first four episodes of the season.
The second installment, featuring McVey, will dramatize the prince’s college days at St. Andrew’s university, where he met and started dating his future wife, Kate Middleton (played by Meg Bellamy).
The couple met in 2001 and are reported to have begun seriously dating two years later.
Apart from the royal love story, William’s narrative could also include his reaction to his father’s relationship and marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles (played by Olivia Williams).
The events charted in the final season of Netflix’s royal drama will end in 2005.
The Crown season 6 will debut globally in two installments on November 16 and December 14 only on Netflix.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek’s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
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