Pakistani actor Humayun Saeed to play Diana's romantic interest in 'The Crown'

MUMBAI :  Pakistani actor Humayun Saeed is reported to play the love interest of Diana, Princess of Wales, in the fifth season of Netflix series 'The Crown'.

He has been cast as Dr. Hasnat Khan, a British-Pakistani heart surgeon who practiced at London's Royal Brompton Hospital, reports variety.com.

Khan's 2004 statement to the Metropolitan Police, which was submitted in 2008 to an inquest into Princess Diana's death, stated that he was in a relationship with her from 1995-1997 and that she broke up with him after she met Dodi Fayed at a holiday with Mohammed Al Fayed and his family.

In the statement, submitted from Pakistan where he had relocated, Dr. Khan said that he had considered a life with Princess Diana, but the situation with the press, who hounded her every move, would make it untenable, reports variety.com.

Dr. Khan said in the statement he believed that the only solution was to move to Pakistan and that Diana had discussed the matter with Jemima Goldsmith, who was at the time married to Pakistani cricketer Imran Khan and had moved to Pakistan. Imran Khan is currently the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana died together in a road accident in Paris in 1997.

Humayun Saeed debuted as an actor in 1999 with Urdu film 'Inteha' and has enjoyed a distinguished career across film and television.

He is known for adventure-comedy 'Jawani Phir Nahi Ani' and its 2018 sequel 'Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2'.

Other notable roles include romantic comedy 'Punjab Nahi Jaungi', which he co-produced, and science fiction film 'Project Ghazi'.

'Tenet' star Elizabeth Debicki plays Princess Diana in season 5 of 'The Crown'. 'The Kite Runner' star Khalid Abdalla has been cast as Dodi Fayed.