The Crown ‘struggling to cast young Prince Harry due to shortage of ginger-haired actors’

Producers behind The Crown are reportedly struggling to find someone to portray Prince Harry for the upcoming fifth season due to a shortage of ginger-haired actors.

The forthcoming instalment of the hit Netflix series will document the years 1990 to 1997, and will feature a young Prince Harry, who will be aged between six and 13 years.

However, crewmembers may have to dye an actor’s hair if they cannot find a young ginger boy to play the role.

A source said: ‘Bosses have incredibly high standards when it comes to the actors they hire.

‘So any wannabe cast member already has to tick a long line of boxes. But with the role of young Harry, they wanted another crucial box ticking.’

They added to The Sun: ‘That’s proved incredibly difficult but they’re determined to cast the right actor and are considering taking any steps necessary to make him look the part.’

Ginger haired people are said to be in decline, according to scientists.

They have claimed that the regressive gene which causes people to have the specific hair colour could be dying out.

Currently, an estimated one-to-two percent of the world’s population have ginger hair.

Prince Harry was previously played by six-year-old Arran Tinker in the fourth season, although he only made a few minor appearances in the show.

Also appearing in the upcoming episodes are Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth and Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana, while Dominic West is rumoured to be playing Prince Charles.

Lesley Manville will also be joining the cast to take on the role of Princess Margaret, while Jonathan Pryce will star as Prince Philip.

It had been previously reported that bosses were also having difficulty finding an actor to play Prince Andrew, which was later denied.

A spokesperson for The Crown stated: ‘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.’

Metro.co.uk has contacted Netflix for comment.

Seasons 1-4 of The Crown are available to stream on Netflix.

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

For more stories like this, check our entertainment page.

Follow Metro.co.uk Entertainment on Twitter and Facebook for the latest celeb and entertainment updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.

MORE : Fire on Indiana Jones set lights up sky at historic castle as Harrison Ford films latest instalment

MORE : Jim Davidson condemned after saying Gary Glitter is ‘ready to start a new life’ and ‘remorseful’