'The Crown' casts its Prince William, Kate Middleton for Season 6

Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The Crown has cast its Prince William and Kate Middleton for Season 6.

Deadline reported Friday that Rufus Kampa will play a teenage William, while Ed McVey will portray the prince in his later teen and early adult years.

Meg Bellamy will play Kate in the new season of the Netflix drama.

Kampa will appear in episodes that explore how the British royal family coped with the death of William's mother, Princess Diana, who died at age 36 in August 1997.

Episodes with McVey will feature William and Kate's courtship, including how they met at the University of St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland, in 2001.

Variety confirmed the casting and said Season 6 will begin production in the fall.

The real-life William is the elder son of Prince Charles and Diana and the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II. He and Middleton married in April 2011 and have three children, Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4.

The Crown is a historical drama series that follows Elizabeth's reign throughout the decades. The cast changes as the characters age.

Season 5 will feature Imelda Staunton as Elizabeth, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Dominic West as Charles and Elizabeth Debicki as Diana.