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.
Dominic West as Prince Charles
No stranger to dealings with the royal family, this Yorkshire-born actor was the natural choice for an older Prince Charles in seasons five and six of The Crown. Already well-familiar with the prince himself, the actor felt honored as he was selected to play the role of the man who was second in line to the throne.
One only needs to look at the side-by-side pictures of Dominic West and Prince Charles to see why he was selected to play the prince.
Emma Corrin as Princess Diana
The Princess of Wales, Diana, first appeared on our screens in The Crown in season four. Emma Corrin won a Golden Globe, a Critics’ Choice Award, and recived an Emmy nomination for their role as Diana in season four of The Crown.
With Emma’s fair complexion and elegant grace, they stole the limelight, bagging more viewers for the series. Emma’s emotional performance was highlighted in various publications and made Emma a household name. Fans were stunned to see Emma Corrin playing the role of Princess Diana as they look almost identical to the “People’s Princess.”
Charles and Camilla
Charles and Camilla’s relationship was another theme the show focused on in season three, and it presented a plot by the palace to prevent Charles from marrying his true love. Camilla was viewed by the royal family as unfit for the future king, and the show saw many twists and turns in an effort to keep Charles and Camilla apart.
Royal historian Hugo Vickers has dismissed this as nothing but sensationalism, stating that Camilla chose to marry Andrew Parker Bowles and not Charles. While Charles would always carry a flame for his beloved Camilla, she truly loved Andrew and became his wife in 1973.
Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana
Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki could be mistaken for Princess Diana as she bears an uncanny resemblance to the former royal. Debicki played the role for seasons five and six, as the storyline centered on the breakdown of Diana and Charles’ marriage.
Diana’s shoes are tough to fill, but we think that Elizabeth Debicki deserves an award for her portrayal of the doomed royal as we compare these pictures of her and Diana side by side.
Emerald Fennell as Camilla Shand
Camilla Shand first appeared in The Crown in season three. For actress Emerald Fennell, the role was a tough one to play, as she knew fans would hate her character no matter what. Fennell played Camilla for seasons three and four.
While many believe that she’s to blame for the breakup of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, the truth is that she chose Officer Andrew Parker Bowles over Charles. Emerald Fennell is a near-identical match to Camilla Shand as she plays the role of the “bad guy” in the series.
Introduction to Diana
Season four welcomes Emma Corrin as a young Lady Diana Spencer, the future bride of Prince Charles. The show reveals a number of plots against Diana, painting the royal family as malicious and evil.
When the season aired, the public was so upset at how Diana was supposedly treated that Prince Charles and Camilla were forced to turn off the comments on their Instagram and Twitter accounts due to the hate they were receiving. There were, in fact, no plots against Diana, and the royal family wasn’t scheming to get rid of her.
Olivia Williams as Camilla Shand
Olivia Williams had quite the makeover to play the role of Camilla in seasons five and six. Now the lover of Prince Charles, Camilla would ultimately become his wife, but the wedding is yet to be shown on the Netflix series. Here’s hoping that they make a few more seasons!
Olivia Williams had her hair colored for her role as Camilla and would often joke that she could barely recognize the woman looking back at her in the mirror while filming the award-winning series.
King George’s Illness
Setting the tone for Elizabeth’s rule on the throne, The Crown depicts King George VI coughing up blood early on in the series. This alluded to a diagnosis of lung cancer that would eventually cost the King his life in 1952.
King George only displayed symptoms of his illness in 1948, a year after The Crown showed him coughing. His first symptom was leg pain, for which he was treated. His lung cancer diagnosis would only come in 1951.
The Royal Wedding
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s wedding is depicted as a grand affair that occurred without a hitch, which led many to believe that their wedding was nothing short of a fairy tale.
In reality, their wedding was nothing like a fairy tale. It suffered a series of mishaps that many modern brides have had to deal with. It’s honestly quite refreshing to know that even royal weddings and events aren’t free from becoming a fiasco.
The Queens “Affair”
Queen Elizabeth was often accompanied by her friend Lord Porchester as she carried out her royal duties. But The Crown would see this relationship take a more romantic turn as it hints at an affair between Her Majesty and the Lord she fondly referred to as “Porchey.”
The truth is that Lord Porchester and Queen Elizabeth II were just childhood friends. Often pictured alongside the Queen while traveling the world, there was never anything more than a friendship between the two.
Margaret and Peter Townsend
The worst inaccuracy in season one is that of the marriage of Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend. While the reference to the Royal Marriage Act of 1772 was correct, the act didn’t state the princess would lose her title if she married commoner Peter.
The Queen saw to it that her sister would retain her title and continue with her royal duties after she was married. She did have to renounce her right to succession as well as that of her children when she married her father’s former equerry, however.
The Queen’s Intruder
It would seem that not even Buckingham Palace is safe as The Crown shows a troubled Michael Fagan breaking into the palace and making his way to Her Majesty’s private chambers. Once in her presence, the series portrays Fagan having a civil conversation with the queen about the problems he feels the country is facing. The queen ever so gracefully listens to his qualms.
In truth, Michael Fagan was a troubled young man who did, in fact, break into Buckingham palace on two separate occasions. There was, however, no conversation between the Queen and Fagan as she called for help the moment he entered her chambers.
Elizabeth and Philip and “That” Elephant
The Crown shows Elizabeth and her beloved Philip during their tour of Kenya where they happen upon an angry elephant. Thanks to a calm yet brave response by the Prince, the pair walk away from the incident unscathed.
We’re guessing that the show was only trying to create some drama when they included this far-fetched event in their series. While the Queen and Philip did travel to Kenya and met elephants, there’s no record that they were ever charged by one.
The Lies about Charles and Camilla
Watching The Crown had many people believe that Charles and Camilla had an affair throughout his marriage to Diana. The show would lead many viewers to have a distorted sense of what happened. Charles and Camilla dated briefly.
Their relationship came to an end in 1973 when Camilla married Andrew Parker Bowles. The two only rekindled their romance in 1979, again ending it before Charles married Diana. While we’ll never know the true extent of their friendship, many biographers insist the pair only became romantically involved again after Charles and Diana’s marriage broke down in 1986.
Anne’s Relationship With Andrew
Every series needs a love triangle. And as if the one between Charles, Diana, and Camilla wasn’t enough, The Crown made reference to a relationship between Charles’ Aunt, Princess Anne, and Andrew Parker Bowles, who we know married Camilla.
Anne and Andrew did have a relationship in 1970, but it was by no means an extra-marital affair as Andrew and Camilla weren’t dating yet and were only wed in 1973. Camilla would only later reconcile with Charles following her divorce from Parker Bowles.
Diana’s “Balmoral Test”
Once again portraying the royal family as an evil monarchy who had it out for Diana, the show depicts Diana being invited to Balmoral Castle as a test to see how well she would fare with the family.
While a visit to the Scottish royal home did occur a mere two months before the royal wedding, it wasn’t a test. It was simply a way for Diana to become more acquainted with her future family.
