‘The Crown’ child actor overcame cancer to play young Prince Harry

A child actor who plays the young Prince Harry in the latest season of The Crown overcame cancer when he was just 21 months old.

Will Powell, is a thirteen-year-old actor, who was first diagnosed with leukaemia as a baby and underwent 27 operations, pursued acting after recovering from cancer

Powell received years of treatment at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, supported by his father Andy and mother Michelle.

In a new interview, Powell’s father, Andy said, “Throughout everything, he was a superstar. Our little boy never complained once.”

Powell’s mother noticed a casting call for season five of the hit Netflix royal drama series for an actor to play Prince William, though his dad thought he was more suited to the role of Prince Harry.

"Will was asked to provide a self-tape at first. He got to the last four, then two, and then finally he had an interview with the casting director via Skype,” Andy told the BBC. “The next day we got the news that he’d been successful.”

"We binge-watched until we had seen all of Will's scenes,” Andy said.

The Crown season five stars Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth, with main cast members including Jonathan Pryce, Lesley Manville, Jonny Lee Miller, Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki.

The latest season chronicles Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, such as the decommissioning of the royal yacht, and dramatic breakdown of the marriage between then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

Prince William and Harry appear regularly in family scenes, like when Prince Charles and Princess Diana visit Italy, with their children.