Netflix denies rumors that nobody wants to play Prince Andrew on The Crown

A recent rumor suggested finding someone to play Prince Andrew on The Crown has been a royal headache — but Netflix is shooting it down.

The British tabloid The Sun claimed the hit Netflix series about Queen Elizabeth II is "struggling to find an actor to play unpopular Prince Andrew," who stepped back from public duties in 2019 after coming under fire for his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. An Epstein accuser, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, has also alleged she was forced to have sex with Andrew when she was 17, which Andrew denies.

"Prince Andrew is one of the most unpopular members of the royal family and wannabe stars aren't exactly queing up to play him," a casting source claimed to The Sun. "It's not the sexiest role and is unlikely to set a Hollywood career alight."

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The report also cited the fact that producers had "resorted to advertising the role on" Spotlight, "a job website for out-of-work actors." But a representative for the show told Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter there's been no such difficulty finding someone for the part.

"There is absolutely no struggle to cast any role for season 5 of The Crown and it is normal practice for productions to advertise in Spotlight," the spokesperson said.

Prince Andrew appeared in the fourth season of The Crown and was played by Tom Byrne, the Reporter notes, although season 5 will see the show recast key roles including the queen herself. The next season is expected to pick up in the 1990s — though if the show ever does go all the way up to 2019, an episode featuring Andrew's disastrous Epstein interview would be quite a doozy.