Helena Bonham Carter, Jason Watkins added to cast of ‘The Crown’ for series 3
Helena Bonham Carter (Harry Potter, Howard’s End, Ocean’s 8) and Jason Watkins (Twenty Twelve, W1A, Line of Duty, Hold the Sunset) have been added to the cast for the forthcoming series 3 of The Crown. Taking over the role of Princess Margaret from Vanessa Kirby, Bonham Carter will join the already overhauled cast of Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth and Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip who take over the royal couple duties from Claire Foy and Matt Smith in series 3.
Watkins has been added in the role of Harold Wilson who served as Prime Minister from 1964 to 1970 and then again from 1974 to 1976. Both Bonham Carter and Watkins sounded equal parts nervous and excited to be joining the critically-acclaimed drama.
“I’m not sure which I’m more terrified about – doing justice to the real Princess Margaret or following in the shoes of Vanessa Kirby’s Princess Margaret,” said Bonham Carter. “The only thing I can guarantee is that I’ll be shorter [than Vanessa].”
“I am delighted to become part of of this exceptional show,” Watkins said. “And so thrilled to be working once again with [The Crown’s creator] Peter Morgan. Harold Wilson is a significant and fascinating character in our history. So looking forward to bringing him to life, through a decade that transformed us culturally and politically. And excited to be working so closely with Olivia; and the whole team.”
With series two ending in 1963, series 3 was always destined to see a number of new faces walking the halls of Buckingham Palace. The significant time jump for series 3 necessitated Claire Foy and Matt Smith to abdicate the throne after two seasons making way for Colman and Menzies for the next series which begins filming next month and returns to Netflix in 2019.
