Actor Imelda Staunton looks the spitting image of Queen Elizabeth II in her first look picture from Netflix drama, The Crown. The veteran actor is best known for her portrayal of Professor Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter movies.
Staunton is the latest star to take on the role of the Queen on the show, previously played by Emmy winner Claire Foy (seasons 1 and 2) and then Oscar-winner Olivia Colman (season 3 and 4). She will be joined by Jonathan Pryce, who will play her husband, the late Prince Philip. The role was earlier played by Matt Smith and Tobias Menzes.
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Lesley Manville will take on the role of her sister, Princess Margaret, who was played by Vanessa Kirby in first two seasons and then by another Harry Potter alum, Helena Bonham Carter. Elizabeth Debicki of Tenet will play the new and older Diana, Princess of Wales. She was played by Emma Corrin in the fourth season.
The last season (like all those before it) earned praise from critics and audience for its emotional telling of Diana’s story and the turmoil that forever surrounded the queen. The Hindustan Times review read, “The Crown, in its fourth season, continues to expand its horizons. It’s hardly a character study of the Queen anymore, but a sweeping drama about one of the most tragic romances of the 20th century.”
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John Lee Miller is also set to play the UK Prime Minister – John Major for the penultimate fifth season. John Major led the country from 1990 to 1997. Gillian Anderson, who played Major’s predecessor Margaret Thatcher for season four, won a Golden Globe for her performance.
The upcoming season of the show will see the royal family tackle the early 1990s — a tumultuous time for the royals, which saw the dissolution of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage.