‘The Crown’ Season 5: Netflix Reacts to Rumored Prince Andrew Issue

Netflix’s The Crown is one of the streamer’s biggest shows, and the company recently reacted to a rumored Season 5 issue centered around Prince Andrew. Rumors have been swirling that the show has had trouble finding an actor to portray Queen Elizabeth II’s third child. The rumors reached a fever when casting calls for the role appeared on a casting website.

However, a spokesperson for The Crown has since debunked those rumors, according to Deadline. “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,” the spokesperson said. It seems that the rumors initially sparked over concerns that Prince Andrew’s recent scandals have made him a figure that no actor is eager to play, though there has been merely speculative among critics and fans. There is no concrete evidence that The Crown producers have had trouble finding actors to audition or read for the role.

Prince Andrew has been part of the controversy surrounding Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein, both of whom have been alleged to have trafficked minors for sexual purposes. Andrew is said to have possibly been more than an acquaintance of the two, though he has denied any involvement or knowledge into their alleged crimes. Epstein died in prison in 2019, with his death being officially ruled a suicide, and Maxwell is currently behind bars awaiting trial.

In 2020, a friend of Maxwell’s — American stockbroker Laura Goldman — spoke out about the chances of Maxwell providing any information to authorities about Andrew being involved with Epstein’s dealings, and she indicated that it was not likely Maxwell would say anything. “The only way she can walk is if she gives someone up, but that definitely won’t be Andrew,” she said. “She is so appreciative that when she first came to New York, the duke helped to launch her into high society.”

Goldman went on to say that Maxwell has “always” spoken “about what a true friend [Andrew] is. She doesn’t see any reason to speak about him to the authorities.” Goldman added, “Ghislaine’s always told me that Andrew’s kind of stupid and naive and if there were girls in the house while he was there, he would have thought they were servants. All these people thinking he is evil are just wrong. He is just the kind of entitled person who sees everyone as a servant.”