The Cast of 'The Crown' Alongside Their Real-Life Characters

The Cast of ‘The Crown’ Alongside Their Real-Life Characters

Hands up who else is obsessed with 'The Crown'? It’s the most expensive TV drama ever made, with Netflix forking out a whopping $170 million on it. The costumes are extravagant, the story-lines fabulously juicy (what’s juicer than knowing all of this actually happened) and the attention to detail is second to none – nothing moreso than the casting of the pivotal lead characters themselves.

Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth wasn’t born to be a queen, but when her uncle adbidated the throne, her father became king and set in motion the royal bloodline we have today. Elizabeth remains the longest reigning monarch having served as Queen for over 64 years.

Matt Smith as Prince Philip

The Duke of Edinburgh was a playboy prince from Denmark who denounced his name to marry Queen Elizabeth II. They have been married for nearly 70 years.

Jared Harris as King George VI

Prince Albert was never meant to be king but when his brother abdicated in favour of love, he became King George VI –which meant his eldest daughter, Elizabeth, would one day be queen.

Victoria Hamilton as the Queen Mother

Married to King George VI and the mother of Queen Elizabeth II.

Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret

The Queen’s only sister, Margaret was known as the fun-loving and free spirited royal (Elizabeth and Margaret were the original ‘Heir and a spare’, ahem, Prince Harry anyone…) and she famously had an affair with her father’s much older aide, Group Captain Peter Townsend.

John Lithgow as Winston Churchill

One of Britian’s most controversial leaders, he was the country’s Prime Minister when King George VI died and when Queen Elizabeth II took the throne.