See How the Cast of The Crown Changed Over the Seasons
The Netflix drama recast the characters every two seasons—here, look back at all the cast members who have played each royal.
After season two, The Crown made a stunning decision when they announced the entirety of the main cast would not be returning—instead, all the roles would be recast. The recasting took place again between seasons four and five, with an entirely new set of actors coming on board for the final seasons.
"The choice is simple," creator Peter Morgan explained. "You can put lines on someone’s face or maybe digitally age them, but you can’t breathe the fatigue and bruises of life into a face. It’s like a relay race and you pass the baton." With the first four episodes of The Crown's final season now streaming (part two drops in December), we figured it was time to take a trip down memory lane to see the actors who have portrayed the royals over the six seasons.
Queen Elizabeth
Imelda Staunton was the final Queen, in seasons five and six, taking over from Olivia Colman (seasons three and four), who took the crown from the first Queen Elizabeth, Claire Foy.
Princess Margaret
Lesley Manville is The Crown's final Margaret (seasons five and six), following in the footsteps of Helena Bonham Carter (seasons three and four) and Vanessa Kirby (seasons one and two).
Prince Charles
A young Prince Charles was barely a factor in the early seasons of The Crown—he was played by multiple child actors, including Julian Baring (pictured, season two)—so the role is best associated with Josh O'Connor (seasons three and four) and Dominic West (seasons five and six).
Prince Philip
The role of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh was tackled by Jonathan Pryce (seasons five and six), Tobias Mezies (seasons three and four), and Mat Smith (seasons one and two).
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother
Victoria Hamilton portrayed Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in seasons one and two, and Marion Bailey took over in seasons three and four, and Marica Warren in seasons five and six.
Princess Anne
Like Charles, Anne was played by various children actors in the earlier seasons, including Lyla Barrett-Rye (season two, pictured above). Claudia Harrison played the Princess Royal in the final seasons and Erin Doherty portrayed Anne in seasons three and four.
Camilla Parker Bowles
Emerald Fennell played Camilla Shand when audiences first met her (season four), and Olivia Williams took on an older Camilla Parker Bowles (seasons five and six). Both Fennell and Williams have met the real Camilla.
When Fennell met her, the royal joked, "It’s very reassuring to know that if I should fall off my perch at any moment, my fictional alter-ego is here to take over. So Emerald, be prepared!."
Princess Diana
Emma Corrin first played young Lady Diana Spencer, who became Princess Diana, and Elizabeth Debicki took on the role of the Princess of Wales in the final two seasons.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
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