The last "Prince Philip" is in place

'The Crown': Jonathan Pryce Cast As Prince Philip For Final 2 Seasons

The Crown has cast Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip for seasons 5 and 6 of Netflix's royal drama. The veteran Welsh actor will take over as the Duke of Edinburgh from Tobias Menzies, who followed Matt Smith's initial portrayal of Philip. The announcement comes as The Crown continues to assemble its final cast.

Jonathan Pryce receives the honour of portraying Prince Philip in The Crown's final run.

Pryce will take over the role of the Duke of Edinburgh when the Netflix drama moves into seasons 5 and 6. The news was announced on Aug. 12.

The Crown cast adds Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip

Pryce will become the third actor to play Prince Philip in The Crown, after Matt Smith filled the role for the first two seasons, and Tobias Menzies debuted in the most recent season. Menzies will play the part once more when season 4 arrives in the next few months.

The two season part for Pryce is a somewhat recent development as well. It was thought that The Crown would conclude after a fifth and final season, but a sixth season was confirmed last month. Accordingly, The Crown fans will receive two seasons of Imelda Staunton as the Queen, along with recently announced Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, and now Pryce as Prince Philip.

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The Crown season 4: Coming soon?

While season 5 and 6 news excites The Crown fans, we still await a release date for season 4. The most recent rumour was that a November or December 2020 release appeared likely, but no official word has come yet.

By the time seasons 5 and 6 do arrive, the series will focus on the Royal Family in the 1990s and early 2000s. Prince Philip, who's now 99 years old, was in his 70s and early 80s at the time, a fit for the 73-year-old Pryce.

Pryce, sometimes identified as a character actor, has over 100 film and TV credits, but finally earned a first Oscar nomination for his role in The Two Popes in 2019. Among his best-known films are titles including Brazil, Tomorrow Never Dies, Glengarry Glen Ross, Pirates of the Caribbean. The Welsh actor is also known for playing "High Sparrow" on TV's Game of Thrones.

Pryce is a two-time BAFTA nominee, again for The Two Popes and for 1996's Carrington. At the 2020 BAFTA TV Awards, The Crown unfortunately came up short in its three category nominations.