‘Beyond grateful’: Award-winning actor ‘honoured’ to be cast as Mohamed Al-Fayed in new series of The Crown set to show Diana’s final years
- British-Egyptian actor Amir El-Masry has been announced to play Mohamed Al-Fayed in the upcoming series of The Crown
- The award-winning actor, who boasts an Egyptian Oscar and a Scottish BAFTA, said he is ‘honoured’ to join the cast
- El-Masry, 31, will star as the billionaire ex-Harrods owner, whose son Dodi developed a close relationship with Princess Diana
- Diana and Dodi Fayed tragically died in a car crash in Paris in August 1997 after taking a holiday on Mohamed Al-Fayed’s yacht in St Tropez
Actor Amir El-Masry has been announced to play billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed in the next series of The Crown.
The British-Egyptian actor will star alongside Dominic West as Prince Charles and Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana.
Acting legend Imelda Staunton will take over from Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II while Lesley Manville will play Princess Margaret.
Posting on Instagram, El-Masry, 31, wrote: ‘Feeling honoured and beyond grateful to The Crown team for having me onboard season 5 of the series.’
British-Egyptian actor Amir El-Masry has announced on Instagram that he has joined the cast of The Crown
El-Masry won a Scottish BAFTA for his performance as an asylum seeker in drama Limbo
Mohamed Al-Fayed (pictured with Princess Diana at a charity dinner in 1996) owned luxury department store Harrods for 25 years
El-Masry starred in high-budget BBC series including The Night Manager and McMafia
El-Masry will play the ex-Harrods owner who Diana became friends with when she formed a close bond with his son, Dodi, according to Variety.
Mohamed Al-Fayed, who owned the luxury department store for 25 years, sold it for an estimated £1.5 billion in 2010.
The actor, who was born in Cairo and raised in London, is best known for roles in The Night Manager alongside Tom Hiddleston as well as McMafia.
More recently he won a Scottish BAFTA for his performance as a Syrian asylum seeker who lives on a small Scottish island in drama Limbo.
But El-Masry began his career in Egyptian cinema and burst onto the scene in 2008 in a film called Ramadan Mabrouk Abou El-Alamein – which won him an Egyptian Oscar at the age of just 18.
After his big win, El-Masry studied drama at the prestigious LAMDA school in London before landing his first UK role in The Night Manager in 2016.
Imelda Staunton will be taking over from Olivia Colman to play The Queen in the new series of The Crown
After the fourth series of The Crown came to a close at the time Margaret Thatcher stepped down as prime minister and Charles and Diana’s marriage was on the rocks, the new series is expected to cover the final years of Diana’s life before her tragic death.
It is thought to detail Charles and Diana’s divorce and their subsequent relationships with other people – including Diana and Dodi Fayed.
However some fans are unsure what to expect from the new series after a close friend of Diana’s cut ties with the Netflix show in November last year.
Jemima Khan pulled out of helping with the script after claiming the events leading up to Diana’s death were not being treated ‘as respectfully and compassionately’ as she had hoped.
Diana and Dodi, who both died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, were photographed getting close on a yacht shortly before the accident.
Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed were pictured on his father Mohamed Al-Fayed’s yacht in St Tropez in 1997
Mohamed Al-Fayed (left) and Diana holidayed in St Tropez in the summer of 1997 shortly before she and Al-Fayed’s son Dodi flew to Paris where they both tragically died in a car crash
Dodi, a film producer from Egypt, is thought to have met Diana at a polo match in 1986.
He established himself as a playboy in the film industry and was often spotted at high-profile parties – and is rumoured to have dated film stars Julia Roberts and Winona Ryder.
It wasn’t until the late 90s that Dodi and Diana grew close after his father Mohamed invited her to spend time with them on his yacht in the summer of 1997.
Following the publication of photos showing the pair getting close on the yacht in St Tropez, the pair ended their holiday and flew to Paris, where they tragically died.
Series 5 of The Crown is set for release on Netflix in November 2022.
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