Meet the cast of King Charles III

The BBC adaptation of Mike Bartlett’s play imagines what will happen when Prince Charles becomes King – but who’s playing the royals?

Priyanga Burford: Mrs Stevens, leader of the Opposition

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In a change to the original play, which saw the leader of the opposition played by male actors Nick Sampson and Miles Richardson, the character was rewritten as a female role for the TV adaptation, with Priyanga Burford taking over the part.

Burford has appeared in series including Murphy’s Law, The Thick of It, Holby City, The Bill, The Shadow Line, Casualty, Silent Witness, Boomers, Veep and UKIP: The First 100 Days, where she played a fictional UKIP MP.

Most recently she has had roles in Babylon, No Offence, London Spy, Marcella, Criminal and I Want My Wife Back.


Margot Leicester: Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall

Leicester is continuing in her role from the stage play, in which she has appeared since 2014.

She was nominated for an Olivier Award in 1995 for Broken Glass, and has had a long career on both stage and screen. TV credits include Families, Casualty, Peak Practice, Where the Heart Is, Harbour Lights, Waking the Dead, Five Days, The Take (which also featured King Charles III co-star Charlotte Riley), New Tricks and The Bill.


Katie Brayben: Diana, Princess of Wales

Brayben as Diana (with Tim Pigott-Smith) in the stage version of King Charles III; she reprises the role in the TV production

Appearing as the ghost of Princess Diana in King Charles III, Brayben previously played the role in the UK run of the original play.

Brayben is soon to appear in Doctor Who series 10 episode Oxygen, and has previously acted in Vera and short films This Love and This Way Out. Onstage she recent won an Olivier award for her starring role in Carole King musical Beautiful, with other theatre credits including The Spoils, My Mother Said I Never Should and American Psycho alongside Doctor Who star Matt Smith.

This article was originally published on 7 June 2017

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King Charles III airs on PBS Masterpiece on Sunday 24 March at 9/8c