The Affair star Dominic West is in the picture to take over the role of Prince Charles in The Crown.
Although it is understood no contracts have been signed yet, the 51-year-old actor is said to have been lined up for the part.
He would take over from Josh O’Connor, who joined the big-budget royal drama for the third and fourth series, which will launch in November.
Olivia Colman plays the Queen while Josh O’Connor is Prince Charles in the upcoming fourth series. Pic: Netflix
British actor West recently starred in comedy Brassic and drama The Affair, alongside Ruth Wilson, and is also known for hit US show The Wire.
Should he join the cast for series five of The Crown, he will star opposite Elizabeth Debicki as Diana – with newcomer Emma Corrin playing the Princess of Wales in her earlier years in the upcoming fourth season.
Series four takes the drama into the 1980s, featuring Charles and Diana’s wedding and his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, as well as Gillian Anderson’s debut as Margaret Thatcher.
Earlier in October, West hit the headlines after being pictured in Italy in paparazzi photographs with Lily James, 31, his co-star in upcoming mini-series The Pursuit Of Love.
West and his wife Catherine FitzGerald make a statement to press after the actor was pictured with co-star Lily James in Italy
He and his wife, Catherine FitzGerald, were later pictured outside their home in the Cotswolds, where they handed photographers a handwritten note saying: “Our marriage is strong and we are very much still together.”
It has previously been announced that Imelda Staunton will replace Olivia Colman as the Queen for the fifth and sixth series of The Crown, while Lesley Manville will take over the role of Princess Margaret from Helena Bonham Carter.
In an interview with Sky News, Corrin said it was “incredibly daunting” taking on the role of Diana, and said she tried not to think about the possibility of Harry or William watching.
“You can’t really control if they do and also if you start thinking about, ‘I wonder what they’ll think’… It’s kind of, yeah, it’s quite stressful,” she said.
O’Connor said he had empathy with his character.
“I think I personally have huge empathy for him and hopefully people will,” he said. “The thing that Emma and I set out to do is tell as unbiased a story as possible and just try and lay out… a version of how marriage tragically breaks down.
“It’s never one-sided, people have their own failings and their own positives. So hopefully people come out and don’t hate them too much.
“None of us know what their marriage was like in real life.”
The fifth and sixth instalments of The Crown will bring the series into the 21st century.
The fourth season launches on Netflix on 15 November.