The Crown: Read up on the cast of the Queen Elizabeth series
There's a brand new cast for series five and six!
The Crown is arguably one of the biggest shows of the last few years. Starting on Netflix in 2016, the series follows the lives of the British monarch Queen Elizabeth II throughout various stages of her life.
Series one and two told her story during the early stages of her reign, from 1947 up until 1964, whilst series three picked up in 1964, starring Olivia Colman as the Queen until 1977, and the fourth season picked up at this point.
With series five landing in November 2022, and series six set to air in November 2023, we take a look at the cast, past and present. The Crown is well-known for swapping actors every two series, to ensure that they reflect their ages and dispositions at those times in their lives.
Who is in the cast of The Crown on Netflix?
Series 1-2: Queen Elizabeth II - Claire Foy
Queen Elizabeth II is played by British actress Claire Foy.
In The Crown, the show starts with Princess Elizabeth marrying Philip in 1947 and then ascending the throne with her husband the Duke of Edinburgh in 1952 after her father died. Since then, the Queen has served through 12 Prime Ministers and still rules today with the longest reign in British monarchy history.
Actress Claire Foy has previously played TV roles in Being Human and the promise after studying acting at the Liverpool John Moores University and the Oxford School of Drama. She married actor Stephen Campbell Moore in 2014 and have had a daughter together. The couple announced their separation in February 2018. Since starring in The Crown, Claire has been nominated for several awards and won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II, as well as a Primetime Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Award.
Series 3-4: Queen Elizabeth II - Olivia Colman
Olivia Colman joined The Crown as Queen Elizabeth II for series 3, showing her life from 1964 to 1977, and will continue in the role for series 4. Olivia is best known for many different roles, notably in Peep Show, Hot Fuzz, The Iron Lady, Broadchurch, Murder on the Orient Express and The Favourite.
Series 5-6: Queen Elizabeth II - Imelda Staunton
Imelda Staunton takes on the role of Queen Elizabeth II in series five and six of the Royal drama. She takes over from Olivia Colman in the lead role. Imelda has enjoyed an extensive career, starring in things like Harry Potter, Paddington and Nanny McPhee.
Series 1-2: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh - Matt Smith
11th incarnation of the Doctor, Matt Smith, plays Prince Philip in The Crown. Elizabeth and Prince Philip first met at a wedding in 1934, but the pair didn't marry until 1947 and their first child, Prince Charles, was born a year later. Philip has stood alongside the Queen for nearly 70 years, giving up his successful career as an officer in the Navy, specifically as first lieutenant and second-in-command of the destroyer H.M.S. Chequers.
Matt was born in Northampton, UK in 1982 and had planned to be a professional football player, having played for the youth teams of Northampton Town, Nottingham Forest, and Leicester City. After a back injury ended his career, he joined the National Youth Theatre in London with his first theatre roles as Thomas Becket in Murder in the Cathedral and Bassoon in The Master and Margarita, which earned him an agent and his first professional jobs.
Series 3-4: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh - Tobias Menzies
Tobias Menzies took over the role of Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh in series 3 and will continue the role for series 4. Tobias is best known for his roles in Outlander, playing the dual roles of Frank and Jonathan 'Black Jack' Randall. He also played Brutus in Rome and Edmure Tully in Game of Thrones.
Series 5-6: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh - Jonathan Pryce
Having worked with Netflix on The Two Popes, Jonathan Pryce takes over the role of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, from Tobias Menzies in series five.
Series 1-2: Princess Margaret - Vanessa Kirby
Princess Margaret is played by Vanessa Kirby. As the sister of Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret is best known for causing a great scandal in her 20s. She fell in love with Group Captain Peter Townsend of the Royal Air Force. Because of this, there was immense pressure from her family and the press for Margaret to break off the relationship, and in the end, her family won. She married Anthony Armstrong-Jones, a photographer, in 1960, and they had two children together, but divorced in 1978.
Vanessa Kirby is a British stage, television and film actress and model who studied at the University of Exeter. She won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Television Series for her role as Princess Margaret.
Series 3-4: Princess Margaret - Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter replaced Vanessa as Princess Margaret for seasons three and four of The Crown. A hugely prolific name in the acting world, Helena is known for her roles in Planet of the Apes, Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd, the Harry Potter film series, Alice in Wonderland, The King's Speech, Les Misérables, Ocean's 8 and Enola Holmes.
Series 5-6: Princess Margaret - Lesley Manville
Lesley Manville takes over as Princess Margaret for series five and six of The Crown. The actress has appeared in things like Phantom Thread, River, Another Year, Mum, and Maleficent in recent years.
Series 3-4: Prince Charles - Josh O'Connor
Josh joined The Crown in Series 3, playing the Queen's son Prince Charles. He played Mr. Elton in the 2020 adaptation of Emma, and is also known for his roles in Peaky Blinders, Ripper Street and the 2019 TV series of Les Misérables as Marius Pontmercy.
Series 5-6: Prince Charles - Dominic West
Dominic West takes over from Josh O'Connor as Prince Charles in series 5 of The Crown, which follows arguably the Royal Family's darkest decade.
Series 4: Princess Diana - Emma Corrin
Emma Corrin is a relative newcomer, having previously starred in Pennyworth and Grantchester. She joins The Crown in series 4 as Lady Diana Spencer, later Princess Diana following her marriage to Prince Charles.
Series 5-6: Elizabeth Debicki -Princess Diana
Elizabeth Debicki is playing Princess Diana in series five of The Crown, following Emma Corrin's portrayal of Lady Diana Spencer in series four.
Series 3-4: Camilla Parker-Bowles - Emerald Fennell
Emerald Fennell joined the show in Season 3 as Camilla Shand, later Camilla Parker Bowles. She married Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973, and they divorced in 1995, and she married Prince Charles 10 years later in 2005. Emerald starred in Victoria, Call the Midwife and The Danish Girl, as well as being a writer on the second season of Killing Eve.
Series 5-6: Camilla Parker-Bowles - Olivia Williams
British actress Olivia Williams takes over the role of Camilla Parker-Bowles in series five. Camilla is set to be a huge character in the fifth series.
Series 1-3: Winston Churchill - John Lithgow
John Lithgow acts as Prime Minister Winston Churchill in The Crown, advising Queen Elizabeth during the start of her career. He enforced tradition and advised the Queen against taking Prince Philip's name. During the series we see him become a friend to the Queen, and they bonded over a shared interest in horses and polo.
John Lithgow is an American character actor, musician, comedian, poet, author, and singer. He has received two Tony Awards, six Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. John Lithgow is best known for his television roles as Dick Solomon in the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun and Arthur Mitchell in the drama Dexter. In film, he is also well known for his film roles in Blow Out and Footloose (1984).
Series 4: Margaret Thatcher - Gillian Anderson
Gillian Anderson joins The Crown for series 4, playing the UK's first female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. Gillian has promised that we'll see a 'different side' to The Iron Lady as she was dubbed. Gillian is best known for playing FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in The X-Files, but is also known for her roles in The Fall, Hannibal and Sex Education.
Series 5-6: John Major - Jonny Lee Miller
Actor Jonny Lee Miller joins the cast of The Crown for series five, playing the role of Tory Prime Minister John Major.
Series 1-2: King George VI - Jared Harris
King George VI, played by Jared Harris, ruled for 16 years. He became king due to his older brother Prince Edward abdicating in 1936. He died of cancer in 1952, leaving the throne to his daughter, Elizabeth, who is the lead in The Crown.
Jared Harris is a British actor, best known for his roles as Lane Pryce in the television drama series Mad Men, and David Robert Jones in the science fiction series Fringe.
Series 1-2: Queen Mother - Victoria Hamilton
Victoria Hamilton played the Queen Mother in the first two series of the show. The Queen Mother married King George VI to become Queen Elizabeth and ruled alongside him for 16 years until he passed away in 1952. The Queen Mother passed away in her sleep on 30th March 2002, at 101 years old.
After training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Victoria Hamilton began her career in classical theatre, appearing in productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre.
Series 3-4: Queen Mother - Marion Bailey
Marion Bailey took over as the Queen Mother from Victoria Hamilton for the third and fourth series. Marion has starred in a lot of British dramas such as Midsomer Murders, Inspector Morse, Holby City, Casualty, The Bill, Poirot and A Touch of Frost.
Series 1: Queen Mary - Eileen Atkins
Eileen Atkins plays Queen Elizabeth II's grandmother, Queen Mary, otherwise known as Mary of Teck. Her sons were King George VI and Prince Edward, both of whom served as king. However, Prince Edward fell in love with Wallace Simpson, whom his family disapproved of, and so abdicated the throne to marry her.
Three-time Olivier Award winner and BAFTA winner, Eileen Atkins is a British actress from London. She was appointed a CBE in 1990 and made a Dame in 2001 for her contribution to drama.
When is The Crown series six on Netflix?
The final series of The Crown will be split into two parts, with part one dropping on the streaming platform on Thursday 16th November.
Part two will then land on Thursday 14th December.
Is The Crown TV show accurate?
On the whole, The Crown is thought to be pretty fairly accurate. However, there are some things that may have been added for artistic reasons; such as Elizabeth having not thought about her regal name until her father's death, as these things are normally prepared in advance so that the palace can issue the information to the press.
It's also understood that the Queen fought for her sister Margaret's engagement to Peter Townsend, and had even worked out a compromise. Margaret and Peter later changed their minds - but the show makes it seem as though Elizabeth wasn't happy about the relationship.
Some fans have questioned the show's over-emphasis of Elizabeth's apparent unreadiness over becoming Queen. Although it's true that she became Queen sooner than expected, she had been well aware of her future since she was very young, so would likely have been prepared well in advance.
The production details are near perfect throughout the series; show bosses spent £30,000 reproducing Elizabeth's wedding dress - despite being on-screen for a very short period of time! They even built sets that duplicate parts of Buckingham Palace. A lot has gone into making this show visually as realistic as possible - and it's certainly paid off.
The outlines of the show are factual, but it's good to remember that the show is there to entertain and will have used creative license on some storylines for entertainment purposes.
Series one-five of The Crown are available to stream on Netflix now, with series six, part one landing on Thursday 16th November 2023.
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