The Crown season 5 production is set to start in July, according to reports

The Netflix series’ fifth season will be filmed under strict Covid-19 safety protocols and features a new cast

The Crown season 5 is set to start production in July, according to reports.

According to Variety, crew members are beginning to arrive back at Elstree Studios, where much of the Netflix drama is filmed.

The show's fifth season will be filmed under strict Covid-19 safety protocols and will feature a new cast, with Elizabeth Debicki starring as Princess Diana; Dominic West portraying Prince Charles; Imelda Staunton playing the Queen; and Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret.

The Crown season 4 featured the arrival of Diana (played by Emma Corrin) and has earned multiple awards this season, including Golden Globes and SAG Awards.

In an interview with James Corden on The Late Late Show earlier this spring, Prince Harry spoke about the Netflix series, saying, “They don’t pretend to be news. It’s fiction,” he said. “But it’s loosely based on the truth.”

“I'm way more comfortable with The Crown than I am seeing the stories written about my family or my wife or myself. Because it's the difference between – that [The Crown] is obviously fiction, take it how you will, but this [the press] is being reported as fact because you're supposedly news. I have a real issue with that.”

Corrin, who has just won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Princess Diana, responded to Harry’s comments to Corden, telling reporters, “I was very moved by the fact that he acknowledged it. I’m incredibly grateful to him and incredibly moved by what he said.”