All the stars who've played members of the British royal family
It's rare to be born into royalty, so playing a royal might be the closest thing for us mere mortals.
From Helen Mirren and Imelda Staunton to Dominic West and Kristen Stewart, here are some of the big-name stars who've played members of the British royal family on the big and small screen.
Michael Sheen
Michael Sheen is the latest big-name star to step into royal shoes.
The Welsh actor plays Prince Andrew in A Very Royal Scandal, a miniseries exploring the leadup to the infamous 2019 BBC interview that resulted in the Duke of York stepping down from royal duties and retreating from the spotlight.
Interestingly, he's not the first actor to star as the disgraced royal in 2024.
A Very Royal Scandal comes months after the release of Netflix's Scoop, which also documented the events that brought the interview to screens.
Michael Sheen
"It helps with a character if you look very different when you play that character because of the act of taking that stuff off and de-rigging, as we call it," Sheen told the BBC of his experience playing Prince Andrew.
"I wear a wig and I've got some teeth that I put in, that's it... I try to use what I've got as much as I possibly can."
This isn't the Frost/Nixon star's first role in a royal-adjacent project, either.
He played UK Prime Minister Tony Blair in the 2006 movie The Queen, opposite Helen Mirren.
Rufus Sewell
Rufus Sewell also embodied Prince Andrew for Netflix's 2024 movie Scoop.
He starred opposite Gillian Anderson as BBC Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis, who probed the royal about his personal association with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and allegations of sexual misconduct.
Kristen Stewart
In casting news that came as a surprise to many, Kristen Stewart landed the role of Princess Diana in the 2021 biopic Spencer.
The critically acclaimed psychological drama honed in on the late Princess of Wales over the Christmas period in 1991 as she contemplated divorcing Prince Charles.
Stewart earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her performance.
Kristen Stewart
Stewart, who rose to global fame in the Twilight movie series, said she had a great fondness for Princess Diana before accepting the role.
"At times, it felt like she was somebody who hated herself – and I love her so much," she told Refinery29 of her experience playing the late princess at such a hard period in her life.
"These moments where she felt completely and utterly worthless ... it's just so heartbreaking. There were times I was just like, 'I can't f--king believe this!' I just get so angry for her.
"I literally want to go back in time and be like, 'Dude, you need a best friend.'"
Jack Farthing
Jack Farthing starred opposite Stewart as Prince Charles in Spencer.
Jack Farthing
The English actor, known for Poldark and Rain Dogs, admitted there was a "terror" in portraying a real person with a very public profile.
"It's obviously a very scary overwhelming idea, taking on someone like that. Trying to find your own truth in a character that everyone knows so well and is so visible and so recorded and so impersonated," he told Business Insider.
Elizabeth Debicki
It's undeniable that Elizabeth Debicki nailed Princess Diana's mannerisms and voice for her role in The Crown.
The Australian actress played the late Princess of Wales in the fifth and sixth seasons of Netflix's popular royal drama, taking the baton from Emma Corrin, who played her in season four.
Debicki's thoroughly convincing performance won her plenty of prase – not to mention an Emmy, a Golden Globe, a SAG award and a Critic's Choice award.
Dominic West
It's the role that took Dominic West from Baltimore to Buckingham Palace.
The English actor, beloved for his performance in The Wire, was cast as Prince Charles for the final two seasons of The Crown.
The news prompted a cheeky response from Queen Camilla, who called West "Your Majesty" when she saw him at an event in 2021.
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