We’re sure you’ve watched Netflix’s The Crown, and we’re sure you’ll agree that the stars who play the characters of the British royal family look extremely similar to their real life counterparts.. While historians and critics have picked up on a few historical inaccuracies, the show as accurately as possible portrays the most important royal historical moments. Instead, let’s look at this fascinating series by focusing on the stars of the show. I’ll point out what the creators got wrong and what they got right.
The Stars of The Crown
It’s no easy feat to create a series that shows the life of one of the most famous families in the world with historical accuracy. It’s definitely not easy casting the actors and actresses that have very big shoes to fill when portraying these roles.
But we believe the casting team on The Crown hit the nail on the head when they selected the stars to portray the aging monarchs across the six seasons of the award winning show.
Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II
British actress Claire Foy was cast in the role of a young Queen Elizabeth II for seasons one and two of the hit show. Starting her career on stage, the actress was only 32 years old when she was cast as the young royal.
Looking at these pictures of Foy in costume, she featured a stark resemblance to a young Elizabeth. She used her natural English charm to portray this great monarch for Netflix viewers worldwide.
Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II
Broadchurch star Olivia Colman added The Crown to her impressive resume in late 2019. Colman was cast as Queen Elizabeth II for seasons three and four of the Netflix series.
It’s easy to see why she was cast as the ruling monarch when you look at these side-by-side pictures. No stranger to TV, Colman’s grace was one of the leading factors that made her the perfect choice for the role.
The Queen Mother’s Role
The Queen Mother is portrayed in The Crown as a hardy woman who played a more diplomatic role in Elizabeth’s life. While this showed her strength as a royal, it gave viewers the impression that she wasn’t a caring and attentive mother or grandmother.
The real Queen Mother took a keen interest in her children and grandchildren’s lives, and would often care for Princess Anne and Prince Charles while their mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was on tour and conducting state visits.
Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II
Imelda Staunton might be known to younger generations as Dolores Umbridge from the Harry Potter series, but royal fans know the British actress as none other than Queen Elizabeth II on The Crown in seasons five and six.
These side-by-side pictures of Staunton in character and Queen Elizabeth II are incredible to look at and make it clear why Imelda was chosen to star in the famed show.
Victoria Hamilton as the Queen Mother
Victoria Hamilton is no stranger to costumed period dramas. Regularly at Queen Elizabeth’s side, Hamilton showeed the motherly role that the Queen Mother played in supporting her daughter’s reign.
She also played the role of grandmother to Prince Andrew, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, and Prince Charles with absolute grace and perfection.
Battle of the Names
As the show portrayed it, after Elizabeth becomes Queen, she and Philip argue about the names their children will have. While Elizabeth wants to stick to royal tradition and give her children the last name Windsor, Philip wants to follow his own traditions and have the children take the last name Mountbatten.
Surprisingly, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip did actually argue over their family name, resulting in the queen creating a new last name for their children. The royal children were named Mountbatten-Windsor according to a decree by the queen in 1960.
Jared Harris as King George VI
The role of King George wasn’t a large one in the Netflix series The Crown, but it was an important one. The casting director made an excellent choice in casting Jared Harris in the role of King George VI.
Famous for his role in Mad Men, the actor was only in the first two episodes of The Crown but made a strong impact with his portrayal of the King.
Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret
The Crown is more than just another look into the life of Queen Elizabeth II; it also focuses on Elizabeth as a sister, mother, and wife. As such, Vanessa Kirby was cast as Elizabeth’s sister. Before her role as the young Princess Margaret in the first two seasons of The Crown, Kirby made her debut in the 2012 crime drama series The Rise.
The young British actress bore a striking resemblance to the late princess. It was a smart choice by the casting directors. Take a look at these pictures that show just how similar Vanessa Kirby really looks to Princess Margaret. Her dark hair and petite features bear such a resemblance that we had to look twice!
Speech at the Jaguar Factory
Season two shows Queen Elizabeth giving a speech at the Jaguar factory. This speech would lead to Lord Altrincham writing a scathing article where he details his hate for the speech and how he found it stuffy and impersonal.
This has been labeled as pure fiction by biographer Hugo Vickers, as he points out that no record of this speech has ever been found. We’ll chalk this one up to sensationalism and entertainment value.
Helena Bonham-Carter as Princess Margaret
One of the UK’s most successful actresses — Helena Bonham-Carter — took over the role of Princess Margaret for seasons three and four of the series. Sharing the same stoicism that Princess Margaret was known for in public, Bonham-Carter seemed to match the airs and graces that accompanied royal life.
Helene, in costume as Princess Margaret, will have you rubbing your eyes. You don’t have to look too hard to see the striking similarity that the women share.
Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret
Lesley Manville has described her role as Princess Margaret in The Crown as her best performance yet. She has starred in seasons five and six of the show. Born in the United Kingdom, the actress knows a thing or two about British etiquette. She used this knowledge to her advantage in the series.
Manville has played a number of great roles, including that of Mrs. Harris in the 2022 film Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. She might just be our favorite of all the actresses who played the role of Princess Margaret. These pictures capture her beauty perfectly and only serve to highlight the similarities that the actress and the royal share.
Princess Margaret’s Role as Monarch
The creators were on-point with the events that saw Elizabeth take over the throne. But they depicted Princess Margaret as the acting Monarch while the Queen embarked on her royal tour. This includes a speech at the ambassador’s dinner.
Princess Margaret, Elizabeth’s younger sister, didn’t actually take on the role of acting monarch in the Queen’s absence. There was also no ambassador’s dinner and no speech by Princess Margaret.
Ben Miles as Peter Townsend
Starting his career in the royal family as the King’s equerry, Peter Townsend found himself falling in love with the then 22-year-old Princess Margaret. Actor Ben Miles bore an uncanny resemblance to Peter Townsend and played the role of the King’s equerry and Princess Margaret’s love interest for the first two seasons of the show.
His role ended at the end of the second season as the show took a new direction and focused on the younger royals. But these two could be twins born decades apart — they’re the spitting image of one another.
Matt Smith as Prince Philip
The role of Prince Philip was an important one, both as Elizabeth’s husband and as the father to Princes Andrew, Edward, and Charles, and Princess Anne. Handsome Matt Smith made his appearance on The Crown as Prince Philip in seasons one and two of the award-winning show.
The husband of Queen Elizabeth, much of his role was to be the confidante and supporter of the Queen, who claimed the throne when she was still a young girl. The casting directors of The Crown deserved nothing short of a medal for their impeccable casting talents when they chose Matt Smith to play the dashing Prince Philip.
Philip’s Mother Attends the Wedding
In season one, Prince Philip’s mother is shown to arrive at his wedding to Elizabeth dressed as a nun. Royal biographies show that she was an eccentric woman. The show wanted to highlight this fact with her bizarre outfit choice for her son’s wedding.
Eccentric, yes, but, in truth, Philip’s mother didn’t wear a nun’s habit to the wedding. She wore a simple silk dress. Fast forward to a few years later, and she would attend the Queen’s coronation in her habit. She was, however, an actual nun by then.
Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip
Changing the cast to match the aging characters was necessary to portray the life of the British royal family. Stage actor Tobias Menzies was the perfect choice to play an older Prince Philip.
Tobias Menzies took over the role of Prince Philip for seasons three and four of The Crown. This is how Menzies looks as he plays Prince Philip in the popular Nextflix show. He has a pretty similar look, doesn’t he?
Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip
The Queen’s most faithful companion — Philip — stood by his wife through thick and thin, and who better to play the role of this important character than Jonathan Pryce? Born in Wales, the actor started his career off with a role in the popular science fiction show Doomwatch.
Being cast as Prince Philip was nothing short of a dream come true for the actor, who has now made quite a name for himself as a screen actor. Add a bit of make-up, and it’s like you’re looking at pictures of the same person!
Josh O’Connor as Prince Charles
Young British actor Josh O’Connor played the role of a younger Prince Charles in seasons three and four of The Crown. With his handsome looks and similar features, O’Connor captured the demeanor of the philandering prince all too well.
The later seasons of The Crown focused on the doomed marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. Judging from these pictures, there’s simply no denying the striking similarities between Josh O’Connor and a younger Prince Charles.
The Duke of Windsor’s Abdication
Queen Elizabeth wasn’t the natural heir to the throne, and it was only after her uncle, Edward VIII’s abdication that Elizabeth took over the role of monarch. In The Crown, Edward, now the Duke of Windsor, apologizes to Elizabeth for his abdication on his deathbed.
In real life, Edward VIII abdicated the throne in 1936, giving up his and his children’s succession to the throne. The Duke, however, never apologized to Elizabeth, and no records of any such conversation taking place have ever been recorded.
