The notice, reported in Variety, states that the production team behind The Crown is looking for “an exceptional young actor to play Kate Middleton,” who must bear “a strong physical resemblance” to the duchess.

Casting associate Kate Bone posted the notice to Twitter writing: “Casting Call for KATE MIDDLETON (18yrs). Please pass the word to any budding young actors! See Notice attached. Thanks as always…”

The portrayal of Kate aged 18 would place her at university in Scotland, where she and Prince William first met.

The announcement follows a casting call released in March seeking two actors to play teenage princes William and Harry for the same season.

The Crown is one of Netflix’s most successful series with the show due to air its highly anticipated fifth season in November. The show charts the major events that have occurred throughout the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, including both public and private dramas.

Season 4 of the show was released in November 2021 and saw Olivia Colman conclude her two-season arc playing the monarch before handing the role over to Imelda Staunton, who will conclude the series.

The Crown’s fourth season provoked both praise and criticism for its portrayal of Princess Diana’s introduction to the royal family as well as the eventual breakdown of her marriage.

The role of Diana was played by British actress Emma Corrin, who won Critics Choice, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards for her performance.

An element of the performance that attracted criticism was the portrayal of the princess’s eating disorder as well as the many historical inaccuracies identified throughout the season.

As a result the then-secretary for digital, media, culture and sport in the U.K., Oliver Dowden, told the Mail on Sunday that “Netflix should make it clear at the very beginning” the series is a work of fiction as “without this, I fear a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact.”

Netflix rebuffed the statement issuing a response reading: “We have every confidence our members understand it’s a work of fiction that’s broadly based on historical events. As a result, we have no plans—and see no need—to add a disclaimer.”

This will not be the first time that the Duchess of Cambridge has seen herself fictionalized on-screen.

In 2011 the Hallmark channel released a made-for-TV biopic of the newly married Kate titled William and Catherine: A Royal Romance. In the movie Kate was played by the actress Alice St Clair (real name Lady Alice St Clair-Erskine, the daughter of a British earl).

The year of her marriage also saw Kate receive another biopic in the form of Lifetime’s William & Kate during which she was played by Camilla Luddington.

Later, in the 2018 Lifetime movie Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance, Kate found herself played by actress Laura Mitchell who reprised her role in sequels, Harry & Meghan: Becoming Royal and Harry & Meghan: Escaping the Palace.

So far as the royal family’s reaction to seeing themselves portrayed in The Crown few have voiced their opinions. A notable exception is Prince Harry, who told talk show host James Corden:

“It gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle, what the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else, what can come from that. I’m way more comfortable with The Crown than I am seeing the stories written about my family, or my wife, or myself.”

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, who was a key figure in the show’s third and fourth seasons showing her relationship with Prince Charles developed, embraced the actress who played her, even going so far as joking that she could “replace” the royal at an event.

Speaking at a Clarence House event, Camilla gestured to actress Emerald Fennell who was a guest and said: “It is reassuring to know that, if I should fall off my perch at any moment, my fictional alter ego is here to take over. So, Emerald, be prepared!”

The usually reticent Princess Anne, the Queen’s only daughter, admitted in a documentary marking her 70th birthday in 2020 that she found early episodes of The Crown “quite interesting” but has since stopped watching. She also voiced her disbelief over the amount of time it was reported to have taken the hairstyling team to perfect her iconic up-do each day.

“Actually I read an article the other day about The Crown, the actress was talking about how long it took them to do their hair like I did,” the princess said.

“And I’m thinking, ‘How could you possibly take that long?’ I mean it takes me 10 or 15 minutes.”

Following the Season 5 release of The Crown this winter, the show is expected to make its final season available for streaming in 2023.