Pakistani actor Humayun Saeed joins Netflix’s The Crown as Princess Diana’s love interest
The veteran actor will play Dr Hasnat Khan in season five of the royal drama.
Pakistani actor Humayun Saeed, seen here in a July 2013 photo, will play Dr Hasnat Khan in season five of Netflix’s The Crown. (Photo: AFP/Asif Hassan)
Avid fans of the royal family drama series, The Crown, can expect a new face in the latest season. Variety confirmed on Sunday (Jan 9) that Pakistani actor and producer, Humayun Saeed, has been cast in season five of the series as Dr Hasnat Khan.
Dr Khan had a romantic relationship with Princess Diana before she met Dodi Fayed.
News of Saeed taking on the role was first made public earlier that day by the Pakistani news media following a tweet by fellow actress and friend, Mahira Khan, who congratulated the actor for bagging the role.
The 50-year-old Saeed made his debut in 1999 in Inteha and has since gone on to star in numerous Pakistani television dramas and films. He is best known for his role in the adventure comedy film Jawani Phir Nahi Ani in 2015 and its sequel Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2 in 2018, even winning Pakistan’s ARY award for best actor for his role in the former.
A new cast will play the familiar characters in season five of The Crown with Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana, Dominic West as Prince Charles, Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II and Khalid Abdalla from The Kite Runner as Dodi Fayed.
British-Pakistani heart and lung surgeon Dr Khan revealed in a statement to the UK’s Metropolitan Police in 2004, which was subsequently revealed in 2008 in an inquest into Princess Diana’s death, that he was in a relationship with her from 1995 to 1997 and that she broke up with him after she met Dodi Fayed.
Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed died in a car crash on Aug 31, 1997.
Season five of The Crown is scheduled for release in November.
