Dominic West's Real Son Senan West Plays Prince William in The Crown Season 5
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As The Crown enters its final two seasons, depicting events through the 1990s and (presumably) 2000s, many fans are curious to see how much of a role Princes William and Harry will play. Both boys made brief appearances as infants in season four, and now the role of Prince William has been cast for season five.
In the show's latest chapter, Senan West, the 13-year-old son of actor Dominic West (who is playing Prince Charles) makes his acting debut as Prince William. Senan, who submitted a taped audition via his agent, will play a "slightly older" Prince William, taking over the role in the final episodes of the season as William begins to mature into a young man.
In an interview with Town & Country, Dominic West discussed his son's role in the show, which came about after a casting agent revealed to West that they were struggling to fill the role. Senan had never acted, West revealed—not even in a school play. "Do you know how lucky you are? Bloody lucky!” West said he told his son, instructing him to "listen and enjoy and learn" during his scenes with Imelda Staunton.
West added that having his real son play his on-screen son had both its benefits and its drawbacks: "What was great [was the] shortcut to a sort of tactile intimacy that you have with your kids that no one else has.” But as Charles and William's relationship becomes more contentious, West admitted he "felt a bit uncomfortable," and was relived when his son wasn't cast to continue the role into season six—16-year-old Rufus Kampa and 21-year-old Ed McVey will both play William in future episodes, as a 15-year-old and an older teenager respectively.
Season 5 of The Crown premiered in November of 2022, and focuses on events throughout the '90s, including Charles and Diana's public separation and divorce, Diana's infamous 1995 interview with Panorama, and possibly Diana's death in 1997. Like the third season before it, features an entirely new cast, with Imelda Staunton taking over from Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth, Leslie Manville replacing Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret, Elizabeth Debicki succeeding Emma Corrin as Diana, and Jonathan Pryce replacing Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip.
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