The Crown bosses shut down rumours they’re ‘struggling’ to cast Prince Andrew

The Crown bosses have shut down reports that they're having trouble casting the role of Prince Andrew in the Netflix series.

The upcoming fifth season of the royal drama will see all characters recast as part of a timeline jump.

Actress Olivia Colman will be replaced by Imela Staunton as Queen Elizabeth and Elizabeth Debicki is taking over Emma Corrin as Princess Diana.

However, an actor is yet to be cast to play Prince Andrew, who stepped back from royal duties back in 2019.

The Duke of York, 61, made the decision after facing major backlash following his BBC Newsnight interview, where he addressed his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The interview came after Virginia Roberts – now named Virginia Giuffre – claimed she was forced to have sex with the prince three times between 2001 and 2002 at the age of 17.

Prince Andrew has categorically denied the allegations, as well as claims that he is deliberately "avoiding and evading" the US investigation into Epstein.

The Metro reports that Left Bank Pictures, the producers behind historical drama, are currently hunting on Spotlight, a database of young actors' CVs, to find the right performer to play the Duke of York when he was in his mid thirties to early forties.

Rumours that the casting team are "struggling" to find anyone willing to play the prince have since been slammed by show bosses.

A spokesperson for the series told the publication: "There is absolutely no struggle to cast any role for season five of The Crown and it is normal practice for productions to advertise in Spotlight."

Actor Tom Byrne, 26, played a young Prince Andrew in the fourth series of the show.

The newcomer admitted he avoiding watching the infamous Prince Andrew interview with television presenter Emily Maitlis.

He told the Daily Telegraph: "I thought the best thing I can do is to switch that part of my brain off.

“It just wasn’t useful to me to engage with that stuff – particularly as I was only playing him as a 20 year old."

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Filming for the latest season will reportedly begin in August and continue to Jananury new year.

Season six is thought to be scheduled to film from 2022 until 2023.

It will cover 1991 to 1997 including the Queen's "annus horribilis" and the breakdown of Prince Charles and Diane marriage.

The Crown is available to stream now on Netflix

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