How the cast of Netflix's 'The Crown' compares to the real-life royals

Claire Foy auditioned for the role while she was six months pregnant, wearing a tiara, gloves, and gown.

Queen Elizabeth II had a ground-breaking coronation, as it was the first ever to be televised. According to the Royal Family's official website, the historical event was watched by 27 million people in the UK alone.

Matt Smith was the source of a media firestorm and online outrage when it was revealed that he was paid more than Foy. He responded by speaking out in support of equal pay.

November 20, 2019, marked the 72nd wedding anniversary of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II, now the longest-reigning monarch alive.

Netflix unveiled its first look at the older Queen in July 2018.

"I'm so thrilled to be part of 'The Crown,'" Colman wrote in a statement. "I think Claire Foy is an absolute genius. She's an incredibly hard act to follow."

Elizabeth gave birth to her fourth and youngest child, Prince Edward, in 1964. Her role on the world stage continued to grow throughout the '60s.

She established her "walkabout" tradition, something like an informal meet-and-greet, during a trip to New Zealand in 1970.

According to "Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family: A Glorious Illustrated History," it has allowed her to establish a closer connection to thousands of subjects and "signaled a radical break with centuries of tradition."

"I'm thrilled to be joining the new cast of 'The Crown' and to be working with Olivia Colman again," Menzies wrote in a statement. "I look forward to becoming her 'leige man of life and limb.'"

Philip was awarded the Order of the Merit by the Queen in 1968, a highly exclusive honor that recognizes "great achievement in the fields of the arts, learning, literature and science."

Billy Jenkins played a young Prince Charles, while twins Grace and Amelia Gilmour played Princess Anne.

Prince Charles would go on to become the father of Prince William and Prince Harry.

Prince Charles is next in line for the throne. Now 71 years old, he will be the oldest person in British history to be crowned — if he doesn't abdicate in favor of his son, Prince William.

Princess Anne, the Queen's only daughter, comes after her three brothers and their kids in the line of succession.

"To be a part of 'The Crown' feels both special and surreal," Doherty wrote in a statement. "There is such a special dynamic within Princess Anne that I am incredibly grateful to be able to explore. She is a woman of great strength and heart — I feel privileged to fight her corner."

She entered public life at age 18 and has been an active member of the royal family ever since.

"Seasons three and four will follow some of the most turbulent events in the Princes of Wales's life and our national story and I'm excited to be bringing to life the man in the midst of it all," he said in a statement.

"We start off with Charles at Cambridge University, that's where we bring him into the series," O'Connor told RadioTimes.com.

Prince Charles enrolled at Cambridge University in 1967. He studied archaeology, anthropology, and history before receiving his degree in 1970.

"This is where we scale a significant part of his life which I feel so honored and excited to tell the story," O'Connor continued. "And tell a very different side of the story that we may not have seen or have known about."

On the first two seasons of "The Crown," Margaret is portrayed as a vivacious, intelligent, yet somewhat rebellious young adult.

She was Queen Elizabeth II's only sibling.

According to reports, a 22-year-old Margaret fell in love with Peter soon after the death of her father in 1952.

As recounted on season one of "The Crown," Princess Margaret fell in love with one of the men working in the Queen's stables, Peter Townsend.

Because she was under 25, she had to ask for Queen Elizabeth's permission to marry him. But because he was previously divorced, Queen Elizabeth refused. The Church of England and Parliament were also said to be against the match.

She later tried again to marry him in 1955, after she turned 25 and would no longer need the Queen's permission. But Parliament said they'd revoke her royal privileges if she married a divorcee.

Margaret reportedly met her future husband, a magazine photographer, at a dinner party in 1958. He photographed a famous portrait of her in 1959. Their relationship was kept very private in the beginning.

Three years after announcing that she would not marry Townsend, Margaret married Armstrong-Jones.

They tied the knot at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 1960 in the first royal wedding to be broadcast on TV.

Princess Margaret still remains one of the most stylish royals in history, and the image captures the new decade: Bonham Carter is wearing a winged eyeliner, a make-up trend that became popular throughout the '60s, which is very different from how Kirby was styled on the first two seasons as the same character.

She and her husband had welcomed two children by this time: David and Sarah, who were briefly introduced at the end of "The Crown's" second season.

Margaret was often followed by photographer Ray Bellisario, who's often called the "original paparazzo."

After the birth of their daughter in 1964, Armstrong-Jones reportedly began sleeping with other women while away on photographic assignments, according to The Evening Standard.

After years of reported infidelity on both sides, the couple separated in 1976. Two years later, Margaret became the first royal to divorce since Henry VIII, who reigned way back in the 1500s.

Elizabeth was the wife of King George VI. She gave birth to her eldest daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth II, in 1926. She welcomed her second daughter, Margaret, in 1930.

She wore black for a full year following her husband's death on February 6, 1952.

"Wonderful to be joining 'The Crown,'" she said in a statement. "It's a brilliant show and we have a tough act to follow but what a gift to be playing the fascinating and greatly loved Queen Mother."

The Queen Mother died in 2002. She lived to be an impressive 101 years old.

Queen Mary was already a princess when she married her second cousin once removed, the future King George V.

She was 85 years old when she died in her sleep.

King George VI reluctantly claimed the throne in 1937, after his older brother gave it up in order to marry an American socialite, Wallis Simpson.

Elizabeth II became queen directly following his death in 1952.

Directly after his father died in 1936, Edward VIII took the throne. Less than a year later, he renounced it in a scandalous, unprecedented move.

Edward had thrown the royal family into disarray by proposing to an American divorcee.

As head of the Church of England, which did not allow divorced people to remarry at the time, he was unable to remain king and continue with his nuptials.

"I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King [...] without the help and support of the woman I love," he said in a radio address to the nation in December 1936.

Simpson was divorced twice before she fell in love with the royal.

Edward and Simpson married in 1937 and stayed together until Edward's death in 1972. (And she wasn't the only commoner who married into royalty.)

Mountbatten was a great-grandson of Queen Victoria, so he was both Prince Philip's uncle as well as a distant cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.

Prince William named his third son Louis, likely in tribute to the late Lord Louis Mountbatten.

Lithgow had to wear a fat suit to portray the storied politician.

Churchill was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945.

Clementine was greatly influential during her husband's political career.

According to the History Channel, "Winston himself credited her as the primary driver behind his astonishingly successful life."

She died in 1977.

Eden succeeded Churchill in 1955.

"Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden is best known for his controversial handling of the Suez crisis in 1956," states the British government's official website.

He left office in 1957 and died 20 years later.

According to CNN, Wilson was the first prime minister from a lower-middle-class background during Queen Elizabeth II's reign and they got along well.

Wilson was Prime Minister from 1964 to 1970.

Anderson was announced in September 2019 for season four, but not everyone knows how to feel about it, as the Iron Lady is a controversial historical figure.

Thatcher became known as the Iron Lady for her uncompromising ways and strong will. She was prime minister from 1979 to 1990.

"I have been glued to the show and to think I'm now joining this incredible talented acting family is surreal," Corrin wrote in a statement. "Princess Diana was an icon and her effect on the world remains profound and inspiring."

She will be introduced to the series during season four.

Lady Diana Spencer became Princess Diana following her marriage to Prince Charles.

The couple met in 1977 when Diana was 16 years old. Charles was dating her older sister, Sarah, at the time. They later married in 1981.

• Read more:
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