The Crown season 5 casts Pakistani actor Humayun Saeed as Princess Diana’s companion

Humayun Saeed is the latest to join Netflix’s rendition of the tumultuous lives of the British Royal family. It was announced that the Pakistani actor was cast in the upcoming fifth season of The Crown in the role of Princess Diana’s companion, Dr. Hasnat Khan.

The news was first reported in Variety. Dr. Hasnat Ahmad Khan is a British-Pakistani surgeon who had worked in London in the 1990s. After Princess Diana's death, Khan had revealed in a statement to the police that he had been in a romantic relationship with the late princess from 1995-1997. After the two had ended their relationship, she had started seeing Dodi Fayed, who also died in the car crash that took her life in 1997.

In his statement, Khan had said that he and Diana had wanted to build a life together, with the two even discussing moving to Pakistan to do so. Khan had also talked about how the princess had been relentlessly pursued by the press as well.

Saeed, who had started his acting career in 1999, is well known in Pakistan for his roles in films and on television. Some of his popular works include Jawani Phir Nahi Ani (2015),Punjab Nahi Jaungi (2017) and Project Ghazi(2019).

The Crown chronicles the lives of members of the British Royal family during different periods of their lives.The upcoming fifth season will take up the regal story from the 1990s. Elizabeth Debicki and Dominic West will essay the roles of Princess Diana and Prince Charles on the acclaimed show’s fifth season. Other cast members include Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce, Lesley Manville, Khalid Abdalla and Jonny Lee Miller.

The Crown is available to stream on Netflix.