The Crown's season three cast has swelled with the addition of three new actors in the last 24 hours. Following rumors a few months ago, BAFTA nominee Josh O'Connor (God's Own Country) has officially joined the show as a young Prince Charles.

Meanwhile, Erin Doherty (Call the Midwife) will play a young Princess Anne and Marion Bailey (Vera Drake, Mr Turner) will take over from Victoria Hamilton as the Queen Mother.

https://twitter.com/TheCrownNetflix/status/1022498077398188032

O'Connor teased in a Twitter statement that "seasons three and four will follow some of the most turbulent events in the Prince of Wales's life." The show has yet to confirm whether this will include his marriage and subsequent divorce from Princess Diana, but it seems unlikely that this won't become a major The Crown storyline at some point. Diana, however, has yet to be cast.

Meanwhile, Doherty hailed Princess Anne as a "woman of great strength and heart," adding further fuel to rumours that season three could cover the famous 1974 kidnap attempt involving the Princess.

https://twitter.com/TheCrownNetflix/status/1022463598826848257

They join an already impressive cast led by Broadchurch actress Olivia Colman as the Queen and Game of Thrones' Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip. They take over from Claire Foy and Matt Smith, who portrayed the Royal couple in seasons one and two.

Just as excitingly, Helena Bonham Carter has been cast as Princess Margaret, whose personal life will become even more complicated in season three as we see her marriage to Lord Snowdon (played by Matthew Goode) fall apart. "Without giving anything away — it’s on the record, it’s history — we’ll see the breakup of this extraordinary marriage," the show's historical advisor Robert Lacey told Town & Country last December.

Netflix has yet to confirm when season three of The Crown will premiere. The show will compete for 13 Primetime Emmys on September 17, with Foy, Smith and Vanessa Kirby (who played Margaret) all up for acting prizes.

What do you think of The Crown's latest casting announcements? And who should play Princess Diana in the coming seasons?