Producers of The Crown have reportedly cast Tom Byrne to play a young Prince Andrew in the upcoming series. Byrne is relatively unknown as an actor but has previously landed roles in Black Mirror and has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Byrne, 25, is said to play Andrew when he was in his early 20s, courting and eventually marrying Sarah Ferguson. At the time, he was considered a pin-up, however the source breaking the news implied he may not be too happy to be portraying the man now notorious for his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
‘Tom probably couldn’t believe his luck when he was he landed a part playing a senior member of the royal family,’ the source told The Sun. ‘After all, he’s yet to land a major TV role and the Netflix show is one of the most-watched dramas on the planet. But his heart might have sunk when he found out he would be playing a man who is now known as being the pal of a notorious paedophile.’
Andrew stepped back from his public Royal duties in November after a his friendship with Epstein led to a number of organisations pulling out of his mentoring project, Pitch@Palace. At the time, a letter from Buckingham Palace in 2011 was released that cast doubt over when Andrew met Epstein, stating it was in the early 1990s not 1999 at Andrew had stated in his notorious Newsnight interview. Either way, it's doubtful that producers of The Crown will go near the storyline in the upcoming series as they stick to the 70s and 80s in season four.
Nor Byrne or Netflix have confirmed the casting, with Netflix declining to comment on reports. However, should Byrne’s casting be correct, it will be his most prominent role to date. The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School graduate has mostly appeared in theatre roles however has landed small roles in Black Mirror and Sky’s A Discovery Of Witches.
The Crown season four is set to air in November or December this year, with Netflix yet to confirm a date. Olivia Coleman will return as the Queen as the fourth season enters the 70s and 80s with the introduction of Margaret Thatcher and Princess Diana. Most recently, it was confirmed that Gillian Anderson will play Thatcher and Emma Corrin Princess Diana.
As such, Andrews storyline is one of many that is sure to attract a ton of attention when the season eventually airs.
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