The Crown season 5: fans react the first look at the new Princess Diana and Prince Charles

The Crown season 5 has released images of Elizabeth Debicki and Dominic West in their new roles as Princess Diana and Prince Charles, and the casting choices have sparked debate with fans.

Netflix's The Crown focuses on the lives of the royal family over the years and therefore changes actors every two seasons—to keep the cast at the appropriate age to portray the royal family. 

It was announced in August 2020, that Elizabeth Debicki (The Night Manager, Tenet) would take over from Emma Corrin to play Princess Diana in The Crown season 5. 

At the time, Elizabeth said, "Princess Diana's spirit, her words, and her actions live in the hearts of so many. It is my true privilege and honor to be joining this masterful series, which has had me absolutely hooked from episode one."

Netflix has just released images of Elizabeth in this new role and fans have gone absolutely wild. "Give it up to the crown casting team because this is insane," said one fan who was gobsmacked by Elizabeth's similarity to the late Princess Diana.

Fans were impressed by how much Elizabeth Debicki looks like Princess Diana in the official photos, and how much the actress looks like Emma Corrin who previously held the role.

"I'm just realising how alike they look, the crown as always killing it with the casting," said another fan. 

This is a wonderful surprise after many were initially unimpressed by the first photos of Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana.

Although the fan reaction to Elizabeth's casting was overwhelmingly positive, fans were considerably less impressed by Netflix's choice of actor for Prince Charles.

"Elizabeth Debicki's Diana nails it! Charles—they are being very generous, no?" said one commenter on social media.

Images of Dominic West on set and in character were released by Netflix, and fans struggled to see the similarity between the actor and the Prince. 

"Look, I’m obsessed with THE CROWN. But casting Dominic West as Prince Charles is the dictionary definition of a stretch," said one unimpressed fan.

"The crown was generous as f*ck casting Dominic West as Prince Charles," commented another fan of The Crown.

Other fans came to Dominic West's defence and suggested that perhaps he is more similar to Prince Charles than first meets the eye.

The fan shared images of the scandal that took place in 2020, when Dominic West was pictured with his co-star Lily James, who played his daughter in BBC's The Pursuit of Love.

One fan linked Dominic West's alleged cheating scandal to Prince Charles' relationship with the Duchess of Cornwall while he was still married to Princess Diana and said, "Dominic West has proven his chops to portray Prince Charles. Stop whining about his casting. #TheCrown"

Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Return to Cranford) will also be stepping into playing the role of the Queen and images of her. She will be taking over from Olivia Colman who last held the role, and Claire Foy who held the role before her.

Netflix has yet to announce when the fifth season of The Crown is due to air but it has been rumoured that the show will not return until 2022. This is due to production being halted on various occasions because of the pandemic. The streaming platform has confirmed that The Crown won't continue past season six, which means this will be our penultimate royal outing.