There they are! Netflix is giving fans of The Crown their first glimpse of young Prince William and Princess Kate in the upcoming sixth season.
Photos from the royal drama were released on Thursday, April 27, showing newcomers Ed McVey and Meg Bellamy in character as the duke and duchess, respectively. One image shows the twosome smiling as they walk hand in hand on the University of St Andrews campus in Scotland.
A second pic gives a closer look at McVey, 23, channeling the Prince of Wales in a navy suit jacket and khaki pants. Bellamy, 19, looks intently at the camera in a third photo.
Both actors are making their Crown debuts on season 6, which will be the show’s final installment. “As The Crown enters a new decade, Prince William starts at University in St Andrew’s, determined to lead as normal a life as possible while he still can,” read an official synopsis from the streaming platform. “Also beginning life as a University student, is Kate Middleton from Berkshire. As the pair meet for the first time on campus, a new romance and a new future for The Crown begins.”
A premiere date has not yet been announced, but the season features a star-studded cast, including Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II and Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip. Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki will return to portray now-King Charles III and the late Princess Diana, respectively.
The anthology premiered in 2016 and has been nominated for more than 60 Emmy Awards, winning a total of 21. Despite its rave reviews from fans, the series has been publicly criticized for its lack of historical accuracy. In October 2022, Netflix added a disclaimer.
“Inspired by real events, this fictional dramatization tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that shaped her reign,” the message read.
Production on season 6 began in September 2022, the same month Elizabeth died at age 96. Filming briefly paused in the wake of her death but resumed later that month.
While the real-life William and Kate have been tight-lipped about their opinions on The Crown, Prince Harry has provided his perspective more than once. The Duke of Sussex, 38, even joked on The Late Late Show With James Corden that he would want Damian Lewis to play him on the Netflix hit.
“They don’t pretend to be news. It’s fiction. … But it’s loosely based on the truth,” he said in February 2021. “It gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle, what the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else, what can come from that. I’m way more comfortable with The Crown than I am seeing the stories written about my family, or my wife, or myself.”
Earlier this year, Harry admitted that he’s seen both “the older stuff and the more recent stuff.” (The Crown began to explore Diana and Charles’ relationship — and its demise — on season 4 in 2020.)
“Yes I do [watch it], actually,” he said on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. “Which by the way, is another reason why it’s so important that history has it right.”
