How The New Crown Season 3 Cast Compares To The Real Royals

Netflix’s The Crown doesn’t mean to be gimmicky, but it’s still got a gimmick. In order to show Queen Elizabeth’s rise through the monarchy in England — from literally beginning to end — it’d be impossible to have just one actress play her through all of the six planned seasons (that would require so much prosthetic makeup!). So, instead, the cast of The Crown is just replaced, in entirety, every two seasons. 

It sounds harsh, but it’s not at all. Instead, it’s a thrilling way for all of us to see many different actresses take on one iconic figure. Claire Foy won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for her portrayal of Elizabeth from the 1940s to the 1960s, and now we’re going to be treated to the near-perfect Olivia Colman as she steps into the role and the literal crown.  And that’s not all! 

For season 3 of the series, every single real-life character (except for
John Lithgow, who reprises his role as Prime Minister Winston Churchill) has a brand new look to them, but it’s not like we’re being introduced to brand new characters. At their core, they’re still the same royal figures just with a new twist. Plus, you'd better get used to this change-up every two years, because it’s going to happen every two seasons on the show until it’s done. 

So if you’re trying to figure out who’s now playing who on the show, here’s what you need to know about the brand new The Crown cast.