British-Egyptian actor Amir El-Masry joins 5th season of 'The Crown'

In an exclusive scoop by Variety's Nick Vivarelli, it was announced that British-Egyptian rising star Amir El-Masry has been cast to play a young Mohamed al-Fayed, the ex-owner of Harrods and father of Dodi al-Fayed, the tragic lover of the late princess Diana, who also died alongside her in a Paris car crash.

Arab Israeli actor Salim Daw (Gaza Mon Amour, Oslo, Fauda) has also been cast to play the older al-Fayed and while Netflix has confirmed both cast members, they made no more information available to the media.

El-Masry is of Egyptian heritage and grew up in London and is best known for playing Masir Trach in the 2019 film Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker. He was also part of Jon Stewart's directorial debut Rosewater and more recently, he played Omar in the critically praised Limbo, a film which earned him a BAFTA Scotland’s Best Actor Award in 2021.

While the streaming giant released no spoilers, Vivarelli made the great point in his article that the casting of El-Masry means The Crown's next season will feature the full life story of Mohamed al-Fayed, who questioned the royal family's involvement in the tragic accident that killed both Diana and his own son.

For the full article, check out Variety's website.