Matthew Goode to play Lord Snowdon in Netflix period drama The Crown
Star whose Downton Abbey character won the heart of Lady Mary will play the man who married Princess Margaret
Antony Armstrong-Jones, AKA, Lord Snowdon, the society photographer who was married to Princess Margaret from 1960 until 1978 died peacefully at home this month at the grand old age of 86.
But his eventful life will be played out in The Crown at the end of this year when his character steps into series 2 of the Netflix drama.
And RadioTimes.com can reveal that he will be played by Matthew Goode, known to Downton Abbey fans as the handsome smoothie chops racing driver Henry Talbot who eventually nabbed Lady Mary as his wife (see picture).
Series two has started filming in time for an airing towards the end of this year and there will be plenty of new faces as the action begins with the 1956 Suez crisis and finishes around the mid 1960s.
The Crown's producers are also on the lookout for a man to play the baronet and gardening expert Roddy Llewellyn for series 3. Llewellyn, who was 17 years Margaret’s junior, had a five-year affair with the Princess starting in 1973.
That Margaret/Roddy romance, which slightly embarrassed the Windsors, will also play out in front of a new Queen who will replace Claire Foy’s peerless Monarch for series 3.
The producers are currently searching for an actress to play the new-look Queen who will be in her 40s and 50s, according to sources. In fact, the third series will pretty much require a wholescale cast change of “principals” who are expected remain in situ for series 3, 4 and 5 under current plans.
There will then be a new Queen again for series six - the last - which will take us quite close to the present day.
But it is a big crown to fill.
Foy's portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in the early days of her reign has already won her critical acclaim - as well as a Golden Globe for best actress in a TV drama.
She and her co-star Matt Smith, who plays her husband Prince Philip, had previously told RadioTimes.com that they weren't sure whether it would be a "good idea" to continue playing the royal couple - instead jokingly suggesting that they could be re-cast as Margaret Thatcher and John Major.
The Crown series 2 is expected to air on Netflix in November
