Every Actor And Actress Who Has Portrayed Prince William And Kate Middleton On Screen

We all love a good fairytale narrative: The ordinary girl finds her Prince or Princess Charming, gets whisked off her feet, and the couple lives happily ever after. For Princess Catherine, though, that narrative was no fairytale dream. 

When the art history student fell in love with Prince William at the prestigious St. Andrew's University in 2001, middle-class Kate Middleton entered the highest echelons of the British aristocracy. After tying the knot with William a decade later, the humble Berkshire girl who survived bullying and media mockery became a beloved national treasure. Though their marriage has seen its ups and downs, while the popularity of the monarchy itself has ebbed and flowed, William and Kate remain emblems of British social prestige and aspiration.

Considering the media interest their relationship has generated, it comes as little surprise that the royal couple's courtship has been dramatized on our screens on many occasions, in everything from lighthearted romantic dramedies to satirical farce. The most recent fictionalized account of William and Kate comes with the final season of "The Crown," in which the royal couple is depicted by two little-known newcomers (but more on them later).

As we bid adieu to "The Crown," let's take a look at the many actors who have portrayed Prince William and Kate Middleton on screen.

Starring alongside Camilla Luddington in "William & Kate: The Movie" was Nico Evers-Swindell. The little-known New Zealand actor portrayed a 20-something Prince William as he courted Kate Middleton and fell head over heels in love after seeing her sport a risqué dress at a college fashion show ("She's hot," exclaims the young prince in the movie).

Evers-Swindell's performance was savaged by critics, with many lamenting his apparently wooden performance. But in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter at the time, the actor said that he was avoiding reviews entirely to protect his peace. He also expressed his confusion over the ridicule, noting that Lifetime flicks are supposed to be lighthearted fun as opposed to high art. "I don't know [what] anyone could have expected in 30 days of development, from a network that's known for romance," he remarked. "It was always intended to be a fun ride, a light romance, a love story at the heart, and just a jolly good time."

Following his panned performance as William, Evers-Swindell has had minor appearances in acclaimed shows such as "American Horror Story," "Veep," and "American Crime Story."

Dan Amboyer played Prince William alongside Alice St. Clair's Kate Middleton in "William and Catherine: A Royal Romance." Unlike the regal William, Amboyer is from Michigan. "I'm from Detroit, so not exactly Buckingham Palace," he joked to The Hollywood Reporter. Reflecting on the filmmaking experience, he suggested that it was to the actors' benefit that this second incarnation of William and Catherine TV movies was released after the royal wedding. As such, he was able to study William's myriad public appearances for the role. "The benefit of doing it after [the] wedding was that we got to see so much of the programming that was out prior to the wedding," he explained. "So, there were so many documentaries and so many things to watch. So, I had an opportunity to learn a bit about him before taking it on."

Much like "William & Kate: The Movie," "A Royal Romance" was heavily panned. The Chicago Tribune argued that Amboyer was too bland to authentically portray the popular prince. Nevertheless, he has had a moderately successful career since he affected an English accent for Hallmark. The actor has appeared in "Sex and the City" creator Darren Star's series "Younger," "Uncoupled" opposite Neil Patrick Harris, and the "Dynasty" reboot.

Australian actor Burgess Abernethy played Prince William in "Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance." The up-and-coming actor appeared to relish his role, posting a snap on Instagram of the cast and crew celebrating his birthday on set. "I got treated like the future King of England yesterday," he quipped.

But critics didn't exactly think that the Aussie was the right person to play William, with some noting that Abernethy looks nothing like the prince and others arguing that he wasn't attractive enough to portray him. Ouch. However, chatting to TMZ, Abernethy conceded that while he may not look much like William — save for a bald spot — his British accent was spot on. "Look, I know I'm not a dead ringer for him, that's for sure," he mused. "I hope that I embody his spirit and try to portray his journey as best that I could. Again, the accent was another big transformational part ... It was my version of Prince William."

Unlike Laura Mitchell, Abernethy did not reprise his role for "Harry & Meghan: Escaping the Palace." This time around, William was played by Jordan Whalen, who, in contrast to his Aussie predecessor, has said that people often remark on his resemblance to the Prince of Wales. As for Abernethy, he's been busy working in his native Australia.

While "The Crown" offers viewers a glimpse into refined pomp and pageantry, the British satirical comedy series "The Windsors" portrays the royal family as inept — albeit harmless — buffoons. Hugh Skinner plays a foppish caricature of Prince William: kind, a bit dim (though not as witless as Prince Harry, who is depicted as a perpetual manchild ... or should that be manbaby?), but otherwise well-intentioned. This particular incarnation of William is also blessed with a full head of hair and an exaggeratedly posh accent in contrast to William's IRL attempts to sound more common.

The show sees William getting embroiled in all manner of mishaps, including unwittingly introducing a referendum on whether the monarchy should be abolished, à la Brexit, smooching former Prime Minister Theresa May, and attempting a bit of DIY in order to affirm his machismo.

Chatting to Channel 4, Skinner acknowledged the potential backlash that would come from poking fun at a much-loved figure like William but highlighted that the prince is portrayed as the hero of the otherwise dysfunctional Windsor clan. "I play William as a sort of child's view of what a prince should be — heroic and charming," he said. "He's the hero of the story, incredibly good and noble, so I've sort of played it as a bad imitation of a good leading actor, doing 'very important' acting." Aside from "The Windsors," Skinner has had roles in "Fleabag" and "The Witcher," and also had a fleeting part in 2012's "Les Misérables."

The 2017 BBC TV movie "King Charles III" envisioned Britain following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Prince William was portrayed by theater actor Oliver Chris, reprising the role following his performance in the original stage production. The drama was highly controversial, with viewers calling out scenes that depicted the ghost of Princess Diana haunting the royal family. The film also alluded to persistent rumors that Prince Harry may not be King Charles' son.

In an interview with the BBC, Chris defended the film and argued that the Diana fantasy scenes had been depicted tastefully. "I understand how people might find that difficult to watch," he said. "I personally felt that what we see in 'King Charles III' is this really extraordinary, intelligent addition to the debate about our monarchy ... I would like to think that certainly if William saw my portrayal he would see that it's done with an awful lot of respect and admiration."

In a glowing review, The Guardian praised Chris for making some otherwise farfetched plot points (William stages a rebellion against his power-hungry father) thoroughly convincing. Chris continued taking royal roles, though this time playing the erstwhile Prince Charles in a TV adaptation of Sue Townsend's play, "The Queen and I." Again, the production imagined an alternate reality for the royals, with a referendum on the monarchy resulting in the queen being ousted from Buckingham Palace and living in substandard public housing.

Unlike many of the other films and TV shows mentioned here, Pablo Larraín's 2021 film "Spencer" depicted the less palatable side of royal life. Princess Diana (played by Kristen Stewart) is shown struggling with mental illness and turning to her eldest son in her darkest moments. Newcomer Jack Nielen, aged 12 at the time, played Prince William and bears a striking resemblance to the young royal.

On Instagram, Nielen posted some behind-the-scenes shots with his co-stars. In one such post, he shared a candid of himself and his onscreen mom, Stewart, goofing off in an outtake, writing, "So. Much. Fun!" In a cast interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Nielen revealed that some of the scenes between Diana and her sons were improvised, which enabled him to bond with Stewart. The youngster also admitted to feeling rather distressed over the darker scenes between himself and Stewart, due to the raw vulnerability of her performance. "The most emotionally challenging scene was the bathroom scene with me and Kristen," he explained, "because the way Kristen approached that scene made it feel very real and actually made it feel like a real crisis. It's like seeing a friend in distress ... [that] really brought the moment that William realizes that his mother isn't OK."

"Spencer" is the teenager's only on-screen acting credit to date. According to his Instagram page, he is still an actor, and he often shares lifestyle snaps with his 10K followers.

The final season of "The Crown" features two different actors playing Prince William. Rufus Kampa, who was 16 at the time of filming, plays the teen William following his mom's death. The Netflix series is the youngster's first onscreen role; he is best known for his theater work, having appeared in the stage version of "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole," based on the book series by Sue Townsend (who, incidentally, also wrote the aforementioned "The Queen and I" starring fellow Prince William actor Oliver Chris).

Kampa's own background couldn't be more disparate from the royal he portrays in "The Crown." "Rufus attended a small state school with a real mix of pupils from all different backgrounds," an insider told the Mirror.

Meanwhile, young adult William is played by another unknown actor named Ed McVey. Speaking to Cosmopolitan, McVey revealed that he spent a considerable amount of time watching footage of William in order to perfect his accent and mannerisms. "He has a very specific voice — that 2000s Etonian thing, where people try to dial down how much money they have," he stated. "I worked with a movement coach, so I could embody his physicality, trying to connect it to his psychology ... especially with what he went through at that time."

The up-and-coming actor also dished that he developed a close bond with co-star Meg Bellamy during production, with the casting team noting that the pair had great chemistry during the audition stage.