The Crown is reportedly having trouble casting Prince Andrew in the fifth season.

Casting agents for the hit Netflix drama The Crown are reportedly becoming desperate to find a suitable actor to portray disgraced royal Andrew in the forthcoming fifth season.

According to sources, an ad for the role of Andrew appeared on a career platform for unemployed actors looking for talent ready to play the Duke of York, now 61, while he was in his mid-30s and early 40s, describing it as “a very good role”

With the fallout from Andrew’s catastrophic 2019 Newsnight interview still being felt and allegations of misconduct starting to emerge, it’s understandable that the role is difficult to fill.

According to a casting source who spoke to the Sun about the position, “Prince Andrew is one of the most unpopular members of the royal family and wannabe stars aren’t exactly queuing up to play him.

“It’s not the sexiest role and is unlikely to set a Hollywood career alight.

“However, it might work for a real scene-stealer character artist.”

The fifth season will focus on the years 1991 to 1997, the turbulent years that saw Prince Charles and Diana’s marriage fall apart.

Netflix Responds

The Crown’s Netflix spokesperson has refuted a suggestion that the extravagant royal drama is having trouble casting Prince Andrew for the final two seasons.

Producers at Left Bank Pictures recently advertised for the part on casting platform Spotlight, according to British tabloid The Sun. In the wake of the scandal involving Prince Andrew’s links to deceased child predator Jeffrey Epstein, the newspaper cited a source as stating, “Stars aren’t exactly queuing up to play him.”

“There is absolutely no struggle to cast any role for season 5 of The Crown, and it is normal practice for productions to advertise in Spotlight,” a spokeswoman for The Crown said.

Season 5 of The Crown will begin production in June, according to Deadline. Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II and Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip are among the recent additions to the season. In Season 4, newcomer Tom Byrne portrayed Prince Andrew.