Ed McVey Shares A Surprising Connection With Eddie Redmayne

With the eyes of the world on the British royals following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, it’s no surprise that Emmy-winning Netflix series The Crown is drawing more viewers than ever. Bringing the on-screen royals’ lives into the 2000s, The Crown’s Season 6 will notably follow the younger generation of the family. The role of Prince William will be split between two actors: Rufus Kampa and Ed McVey. The latter will portray the prince from his teenage years into young adulthood. But what do we know of the soon-to-be everywhere actor? Read on for a more formal introduction to McVey.

The young actor is set to star opposite Meg Bellamy, who will portray Kate Middleton. The 21-year-old already has a pretty impressive CV, having graduated from the Drama Centre London in 2021 after four years of training. He then took on a theatrical understudy role in Camp Siegfried at the Old Vic. Even when he’s not on stage, McVey is evidently still involved in the theatre: he is currently working front-of-house for the Cabaret production at London’s Kit Kat Club. Interestingly, Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley previously starred in the stage show. The official Twitter account for the venue tweeted after The Crown casting was announced. “Sensational... that Ed McVey, a member of our epic front-of-house team, just got announced as Prince William in the new series of The Crown. We’re so proud of you.”

The Crown will be McVey’s first major on-screen role. When the casting was first announced, the actor excitedly posted an update on his Instagram profile. He wrote: “Ah, the big news is now out. I’m absolutely buzzing to be given the opportunity to play Prince William in The Crown. Alongside the amazing @megkbellamy. Gunna [sic] be an amazing shoot. Can’t wait to learn all I can.”

McVey has since followed up his initial Instagram announcement with another post, sharing a photo of himself with Kampa at Elstree Studios. The young actors, who will play the same role at different ages, have presumably already started working on the project.

After the initial episodes dealing with the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death, McVey will take over the role of Prince William from Kampa, covering the prince’s late teen years, going into his time at St Andrew’s University in Scotland, where he meets fellow student, and future wife, Kate Middleton.