The Crown series 5: Timothy Laurence played by Theo Fraser Steele

The Crown series 5: Princess Anne’s husband Timothy Laurence to be played by The Thick Of It actor and trendy deli owner Theo Fraser Steele

  • Theo has scooped the role of Timothy, who wed the Princess in 1992
  • His acting career spans back to 1996, when he starred in Casualty while he also played Christian Holhurst in political satire The Thick Of It in 2005 
  • He is a deli owner and runs a shop with his wife in Hackney 
  • On Tuesday, he was seen on-set at Scotland’s Covesea Lighthouse, where he was joined by his on-screen wife – played by Claudia Harrison 
  • Also in attendance was Imelda Staunton, who is playing Queen Elizabeth II

The Crown’s fifth season will feature The Thick Of It star and London deli owner Theo Fraser Steele playing Princess Anne’s husband Timothy Laurence. 

He was spotted on-set at Scotland’s Covesea Lighthouse on Tuesday, where he was joined  by his on-screen wife – played by The IT Crowd and Humans star Claudia Harrison – and Imelda Staunton, who is taking on the role of Queen Elizabeth II .   

He cut a dapper figure to play the role of Anne’s spouse, who she married in 1992 after splitting from Mark Phillips.  

Theo’s acting career spans back to 1996, when he starred in Casualty while he also played Christian Holhurst in political satire The Thick Of It in 2005.  As well as acting, he is a successful deli owner and runs a shop with his wife in Hackney. 


Royal role: The Crown’s fifth season will feature The Thick Of It star and London deli owner Theo Fraser Steele playing Princess Anne’s husband Timothy Laurence (pictured on-set on Tuesday)

Theo comes from Essex and trained to be an actor in London before working with Bill Nighy and Stella Gonet in Richard Eyre’s production of David Hare’s Skylight at the National Theatre aged just 23. 

He went on to have many stage roles both in the capital and across the country. In The Thick Of It he played an MP’s son who was shoved up against a wall and subjected to a torrent of abuse by the foul-mouthed Malcolm Tucker. 

Speaking in 2018 about moving from acting to food, when he told The West Morland Gazette: ‘We didn’t choose to do it – we sort of fell into it. It started with just me. We now own the business and have a staff of 12’.

Due to the location of filming at Covesea Lighthouse on Tuesday, production was stopped multiple times due to RAF fighters jets flying overheard to land at the nearby RAF Lossiemouth base, situated just a few hundred metres away.

Happy: Princess Anne and Timothy, who married in 1992, are pictured above after celebrating their first wedding anniversary in 1993


Mr and Mrs: Joining the Princess Anne actress was The Thick Of It star Theo Fraser Steele, who appeared to be playing Anne’s husband Timothy Laurence, with the pair filming a 2002 visit Anne made to a stables in Covesea

It seemed that the cast were filming scenes which saw Anne pay a visit to Covesea in 2002 to appear at a stables, because she was President of the Riding for Disabled Association.

It’s thought that the Queen was not present for the visit, meaning it’s possible producers have added her involvement for dramatic effect during the scenes. 

The stable’s owner, Ernest Graham, was honoured to receive such a prestigious guest, as he was a respected member of the community offering free riding lessons to young girls.  

Snap happy: Theo is pictured in September last year 

Role: Theo is pictured playing Ben Halliday in Hex in 2004


Who’s who? The actress playing Princess Anne in The Crown’s fifth season has been revealed as The IT Crowd and Humans star Claudia

However, Graham was later jailed for six years after being found guilty of sexually abusing a teenage girl in 2004, but his sentence was later reduced on appeal because the victim was discovered to be 13, not 12.

His ex, Caroline Lundon was also jailed for four years in 2005 for encouraging the girl to have sex with him.

Following his release, it was reported in 2012 that Graham was still running a riding school offering lessons to teenage girls, according to The Daily Record.

He told the publication: ‘Yes, there are young girls coming up here for riding lessons but it’s with my daughter. It’s nothing to do with me.

‘I come and go and I’m not around here that often. The police and authorities take care of things and I’m not allowed to teach youngsters. 

Here he is! He has kept casting quiet but looked gleeful on set

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