Netflix's Emmy Award-winning series The Crown has cast Khalid Abdalla to portray the role of Dodi Al-Fayed, the one-time romantic partner of Princess Diana. Netflix is preparing for the show's fifth season, with Elizabeth Debicki taking on the role of Princess Diana following Emma Corrin's portrayal. Considering Netflix plans to conclude The Crown with a sixth season, the upcoming penultimate season is sure to be a crucial turning point in the retelling.
According to Variety, Abdalla will be taking on the role of Al-Fayed, who was an Egyptian department store heir. Abdalla is known for portraying Amir Qadiri in 2007's The Kite Runner and Freddy in 2010's Green Zone, the latter of which also starred Matt Damon.
Al-Fayed and Princess Diana were together following the dissolution of her marriage with Prince Charles in 1996. The pair began their relationship in the summer of 1997, which attracted a slew of paparazzi attention. Their short romance tragically ended with both of their untimely deaths in 1997, after the infamous tragic car crash in Paris took both of their lives.
Netflix's The Crown has been retelling the story of Queen Elizabeth II's decades-spanning reign since 2016. However, the fifth season surrounding Prince Charles and Princess Diana's scandal-ridden divorce and Diana's untimely death is sure to be a pivotal moment for the show. While it's unknown how Netflix will choose to portray Diana's final years, The Crown is taking on one of its most emotional moments that not only affected the British monarchy, but the entire world in the late 90s.
Source: Variety