The Cast Of The Crown Season 5 Looks Just Like Their Real-Life Counterparts
See what the stars of the show look like outside of the palace walls.
The Crown has one of the most talented casts on TV, and the list only keeps growing as the seasons go on. Now in Season 5, the show introduces fans to a range of new names joining the bunch. The latest season dives into the turbulent marriage of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, and, as usual, brings the royal drama. From Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth to Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, the casting department completely nailed it. We're taking a look at the how the characters on the show compare to their real-life counterparts—and what the cast looks like in real life.
Claire Foy portrayed Queen Elizabeth II in Seasons 1 and 2, while Olivia Colman took on the role for Seasons 3 and 4. Can't get enough of Foy? Watch her as Anne Boleyn in Wolf Hall or Diana Cavendish in Breathe.
British acting legend Olivia Colman took over the role of Queen Elizabeth II for Seasons 3 and 4 of The Crown. You might also recognize her from The Night Manager on Amazon Prime, or her Oscar-winning role in The Favourite.
Imelda Staunton took over the role of Her Majesty for the fifth season of The Crown, and, based on appearance alone, it's easy to see why. She's also starred in hits like Downton Abbey and the Harry Potter franchise.
Matt Smith, of Doctor Who fame, played Prince Philip in the first two seasons of The Crown. You can also catch him in House of the Dragon.
The Outlander and Game of Thrones alum took on the role of Prince Philip in the third and fourth seasons of The Crown.
For the fifth season, actor Jonathan Pryce took on the role of the Duke of Edinburgh. He's yet another Game of Thrones alum to join the cast of The Crown.
Julian Baring portrayed Prince Charles from the ages of 12 to 16 in Season 2 of The Crown.
In Season 3, we saw the Prince of Wales as an adult for the first time as he grew into his role as the heir to the throne. English actor Josh O'Connor, who's appeared in the indie flick God's Own Country and PBS's TV rendition of Les Misérables, portrayed the Queen and Prince Philip's eldest.
When Dominic West was first cast as Prince Charles in Season 5, he couldn't believe it. "I didn't look anything like him when I looked in the mirror," he told the Daily Mail. "I kept telling the producers that they had cast the wrong person." The hair and makeup departments sure changed that!
From her signature smile to her impeccable style, Elizabeth Debicki helped bring an older Princess Diana to life on screen for Season 5. She's also appeared in The Great Gatsby, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and Peter Rabbit.
In the third and fourth seasons, Emerald Fennell, who appeared in the TV show Call the Midwife and wrote Killing Eve's second season, portrayed Camilla.
With the addition of Camilla's signature blonde bob, The Father and Rushmore star, Olivia Williams, looks nearly identical to the now-Queen Consort in Season 5.
In the early seasons, Vanessa Kirby played Princess Margaret, the complicated, beautiful younger sister of the Queen. You might also recognize her from the Fast & Furious spinoff Hobbs & Shaw.
Helena Bonham Carter portrayed Princess Margaret in Season 3 of The Crown. That same year, she also starred in another Netflix show, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.
Related article: The Crown Season 5: What We Know So Far
The actress, who you might recognize from Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, pulls off Princess Margaret's rebellious personality with ease in Season 5.
First Lady Mary, then Princess Margaret. Downton Abbey alum Matthew Goode played photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones, husband of the Princess, in Season 2 of The Crown.
Ben Daniels, of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and The Exorcist TV show, later took on the role of Antony Armstrong-Jones, husband of Princess Margaret and the 1st Earl of Snowdon, in the third season of The Crown.
British stage, TV, and film actress Victoria Hamilton (Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Doctor Foster) played the Queen Mother in the first two seasons of The Crown.
Lyla Barrett-Rye played a young Princess Anne in Season 2 of The Crown.
Like her onscreen brother, Doherty also appeared in the TV production of Les Misérables, in addition to the British series Call the Midwife. In Seasons 3 and 4 of The Crown, the actress brought another female force in the royal family to life: the Queen and Prince Philip's only daughter.
Even though Claudia Harrison has appeared in shows like Humans and Delicious, you could argue that playing Princess Anne in Season 5 of The Crown is her biggest role to date.
Gillian Anderson joined Season 4 of The Crown as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. When her casting was announced, Anderson said in a statement posted on Twitter, "I am so excited to be joining the cast and crew of The Crown and to have the opportunity to portray such a complicated and controversial woman. Thatcher was undoubtedly formidable but I am relishing exploring beneath the surface and, dare I say, falling in love with the icon who, whether loved or despised, defined an era."
You might recognize Olivier Award-winning actor Alex Jennings, who played the Duke of Windsor, from Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, The Queen, or Masterpiece PBS's Victoria.
In Season 3, Derek Jacobi portrayed an older version of the Duke of Windsor—the royal who famously abdicated the throne in order to marry divorcée Wallis Simpson.
British actress and director Lia Williams brought the enigmatic Wallis Simpson to life on The Crown in the first two seasons.
Charlie Chaplin's daughter Geraldine Chaplin, whose lengthy acting credits include Gulliver's Travels and Doctor Zhivago, also took on the role of Wallis Simpson, the American socialite who married King Edward III, which ultimately led to his abdication.
Sense and Sensibility star (and husband of Emma Thompson), Greg Wise played Prince Philip's uncle, Lord Mountbatten.
Game of Thrones fans may know Charles Dance as the intimidating patriarch Tywin Lannister, but the actor also appeared on The Crown's third season as Lord Mountbatten, known by his family as "Uncle Dickie." He was both Prince Philip's uncle and Queen Elizabeth II's distant cousin.
Watkins, the BAFTA-winning star of The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies, took on the role of Prime Minister Harold Wilson, who was in office in the late '60s and late '70s.
Related article: Elizabeth Debicki Delivered The Grace Of A Princess At The World Premiere Of ‘The Crown’ Season 5
South African actress Jodi Balfour played Jackie Kennedy in Season 2 of The Crown.
While Dexter star Michael C. Hall played John F. Kennedy.
Downton Abbey alum Julian Ovenden played Bobby Kennedy.
Penny Dreadful star Danny Sapani played the first President of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, in Season 2 of The Crown.
Jeremy Northam played Anthony Eden, Queen Elizabeth's first Prime Minister after Winston Churchill and the instigator of the Suez Crisis. You may recognize him from his roles as Thomas More in The Tudors and Mr. Knightley in Emma.
The Queen's third Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, was played by Game of Thrones actor Anton Lesser in The Crown.
British actor Clive Francis played Lord "Bobbety" Salisbury, a Conservative who worked with Prime Ministers Churchill, Eden, and Macmillan.
Pip Torrens (My Week with Marilyn, The Iron Lady, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) brought Queen Elizabeth's former private secretary, the intimidating Tommy Lascelles, to life.
Will Keen played Queen Elizabeth's private secretary, Michael Adeane.
You may recognize Harry Hadden-Paton from his roles in Downton Abbey and Versailles. He played Martin Charteris, one of Queen Elizabeth's private secretaries, in The Crown.
Prince Philip's disgraced former secretary, Mike Parker, was portrayed by Lovesick star Daniel Ings in the first two seasons of The Crown.
Mike Parker's wife Eileen, who initiates the divorce that nearly causes a scandal for the monarchy in Season 2 of The Crown, was played by Scottish actress Chloe Pirrie.
The Queen's close friend and horse racing manager, Lord "Porchie" Porchester, is played by actor Joseph Kloska on The Crown.
Ben Miles appeared in Seasons 1 and 2 of The Crown as Princess Margaret's former lover, Peter Townsend.
John Lithgow portrayed Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Season 1 of The Crown, and had brief cameos in Seasons 2 and 3.
Related article: ‘The Crown’ Just Filmed Princess Diana’s Revenge Dress And Twitter Is Going Wild
Prolific British actress Harriet Walter (Sense and Sensibility, Atonement, Downton Abbey, The Spanish Princess) played Winston Churchill's beloved wife Clementine ("Clemmie") in Season 1 of The Crown.
Mad Men star Jared Harris played Queen Elizabeth's father, King George VI, in Season 1 of The Crown and a brief scene in Season 2.
Emmy-winning, Tony-nominated British actress Eileen Atkins played Mary of Teck, Queen Elizabeth II's grandmother, in Season 1 of The Crown.
Game of Thrones vet Stephen Dillane played artist Graham Sutherland, commissioned to paint a portrait of Winston Churchill for his 80th birthday, in Season 1 of The Crown.
This article originally appeared on Harper's BAZAAR US.