Even though it feels like season two of The Crown has just left our screens, weโre already looking forward to its third season โ and mourning the loss of its stars from the episodes ahead.
It was announced last year that the last season would be the current actorsโ last, with the characters recast to older actors to reflect the passing of time โ something that is set to happen every two seasons
With Claire Foy and Matt Smith leaving impossibly big shoes to fill, fans have been obsessed with news of The Crown castings, from who will take on the role of Princess Margaret to whether the Queenโs corgis will remain the same.
But it wasnโt the first photos of Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip or the startling pay gap between Claire Foy and Matt Smith that got everyone talking this week. Instead, it was new photos of Olivia Colman as the Queen filming for season three in Wales that are spreading around the internet.
The photos in question show Olivia Colman recreating the Queenโs visit after the Aberfan tragedy.
The Aberfan tragedy occurred on 21 October 1966, when a colliery tip collapsed, killing 144 people including 116 children at Pantglas Junior School.
The Queenโs visit to the village was an important moment in her reign, and something that The Crownโs director Benjamin Caron has insisted will be treated with โtruth and dignityโ.
โIt was all very dignified, Olivia Colman is clearly taking her role very seriously,โ an onlooker is reported to have explained, via the BBC. โThere was a very sombre mood. I think everyone involved in the production realises what an awful tragedy Aberfan was.โ
The Crown season three canโt come soon enough.
This article originally appeared on marie claire UK