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How 5 actors who've played King Charles compare to the real-life monarch

How 5 actors who've played King Charles compare to the real-life monarch

Talia Lakritz

Dominic West as King Charles in season five of "The Crown."Netflix ; Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

Four different actors, most recently Dominic West, have portrayed King Charles in "The Crown."
West said Camilla, the Queen Consort, called him "Your Majesty" at an event after he was cast.

In the first season of "The Crown" on Netflix, Billy Jenkins played a young King Charles.

Billy Jenkins attends the premiere of season two of "The Crown" in 2017. David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage

Jenkins and Vanessa Kirby, who portrayed Princess Margaret, played pranks on other cast members during shooting.

He looks just like Charles did as the young Duke of Cornwall.

King Charles (then Duke of Cornwall) in 1954. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images

Charles was photographed for his sixth birthday in 1954 by Marcus Adams.

In season two of "The Crown," Julian Baring took over the role of 8-year-old Charles.

Julian Baring in season two of "The Crown." Netflix

Season two depicts Charles' struggles at Gordonstoun, a boarding school in Scotland.

Charles later referred to his time at Gordonstoun as "a prison sentence" and "absolute hell," according to the epitaph of episode nine.

King Charles (then Prince of Wales) in 1960. Greenwell/Mirrorpix via Getty Images

Charles sent Prince William and Prince Harry to Eton, a boarding school closer to Windsor Castle, where the Queen Mother had wanted to send him.

Josh O'Connor played Charles on season four of "The Crown."

Josh O'Connor in season four of "The Crown." Netflix

Season four portrays the beginning of Charles' relationship with Princess Diana and their troubled marriage.

O'Connor and Charles share similar facial features, which O'Connor called "a money-saver on prosthetics" in an interview with GQ.

King Charles (then Prince of Wales) in 1979. Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

O'Connor also worked with a dialect coach to perfect Charles' voice.

Jack Farthing played Charles in the 2021 drama "Spencer."

Jack Farthing as Prince Charles in "Spencer." Neon Topic Studios

Farthing starred in the film with Kristen Stewart, who played Diana.

Farthing told Insider's Zac Ntim that stepping into the role of Charles was intimidating.

King Charles (then Prince of Wales) in 1985. Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

"It's obviously a very scary overwhelming idea, taking on someone like that — trying to find your own truth in a character that everyone knows so well and is so visible and so recorded and so impersonated," he said.

Dominic West will play Charles on the upcoming season of "The Crown."

Dominic West as King Charles (then Prince of Wales) in season five of "The Crown." Netflix

West told Radio Times magazine that Camilla, the Queen Consort, greeted him as "Your Majesty" in 2021 after his casting was announced.

The much-anticipated fifth season premieres on Netflix on November 9.

King Charles (then Prince of Wales) in 1995. Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

Season five chronicles the brewing tension between Diana and the royal family.

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