See the Cast of The Crown vs. the People They Play in Real Life

Staunton, who famously appeared in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as the love-to-hate Dolores Umbridge, stars as the sovereign, taking over from Olivia Colman.

After starring in the Oscar-nominated The Two Popes, Game of Thrones, and Tomorrow Never Dies, Pryce plays an aging Prince Philip in seasons 5 and 6 of The Crown.

Manville (Phantom Thread, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris) plays the queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, in seasons 5 and 6, taking over from Helena Bonham Carter.

Debicki (The Night Manager, Tenet) is radiant as Princess Diana in seasons 5 and 6, following Emma Corrin, who played her as a young woman.

The Affair and The Wire’s Dominic West plays Prince Charles (now known as King Charles III), following Josh O’Connor, who played the royal in his youth.

Williams, seen in films like The Ghost Writer and The Sixth Sense, stars as Camilla Parker Bowles in seasons 5 and 6, following Emerald Fennell.

Warren, known for titles like Leap Year and Vicious, plays Queen Elizabeth’s mother in seasons 5 and 6.

Dominick West’s own son Senan plays Charles and Diana’s oldest son, Prince William, in season 5.

Young actor Will Powell plays a young Prince Harry in season 5.

Harrison (The Cat’s Meow, Murphy’s Law) plays the queen and Prince Philip’s daughter, Princess Anne, in seasons 5 and 6.

Abdalla, who has starred in The Kite Runner and Hanna, plays film producer Dodi Al-Fayed, who famously dated Princess Diana, in seasons 5 and 6.

Daw (Gaza mon amour, Tyrant, Fauda) plays Mohammad Al-Fayed, a successful business man and Dodi’s father.

Veteran Pakistani actor Humayun Saeed plays Hasnat Khan, who was in a relationship with Diana from 1995 to 1997.

Elementary and Trainspotting’s Miller plays prime minister John Major, who served from 1990 to 1997, following Margaret Thatcher.

Murray, known for shows like Coronation Street and Suspects, portrays Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, the second son and third child of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.

Sam Woolf, who has appeared on Humans and C.B. Strike, makes a brief appearance in season 5 as Prince Edward, the fourth and youngest of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s children.

Former James Bond actor Timothy Dalton picked up the role of Princess Margaret’s former lover Peter Townsend in season 5 of The Crown, reuniting the pair for one last dance.

BBC journalist Martin Bashir’s famous interview with Princess Diana is depicted in season 5, during which Patrick Melrose actor Prasanna Puwanarajah plays him.

In season 5, Outlander actor Andrew Steele played royal journalist Andrew Morton, who secretly interviewed Princess Diana via tapes and published a biography called Diana: Her True Story.

In The Crown season 5, The Truman Show actress Natascha McElhone plays Penny Knatchbull, a friend of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and a new carriage-driving companion to Prince Philip after the loss of her daughter.

Bertie Carvel and Lydia Leonard play Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife, Cherie Blair, as season 5 of The Crown draws to a close. They are expected to return for season 6.

Oscar winner Olivia Colman took on the role of Queen Elizabeth from Claire Foy for seasons 3 and 4.

Outlander star Tobias Menzies took on the role of Prince Philip from Matt Smith for seasons 3 and 4.

Oscar nominee Helena Bonham Carter played Princess Margaret in seasons 3 and 4, taking over for Vanessa Kirby.

Marion Bailey played Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, for seasons 3 and 4.

Josh O’Connor picked up the role of Prince Charles in seasons 3 and 4.

Emma Corrin landed the pivotal role of Lady Diana Spencer, who becomes Diana, Princess of Wales, in season 4.

Conservative politician Margaret Thatcher made her debut in the series in season 4, played by Gillian Anderson. The “Iron Lady,” as she was called, was Prime Minister from 1979 until 1990 and the first woman to hold the office.

Erin Doherty took on the role of a young Princess Anne in seasons 3 and 4 of The Crown.

Seasons 3 and 4 of The Crown depicted the early relationship between Camilla Parker Bowles (played by Emerald Fennell) and Prince Charles. “I absolutely love Camilla, and am very grateful that my teenage years have well prepared me for playing a chain-smoking serial snogger with a pudding bowl haircut,” Fennel said in a statement.

Dance played the ill-fated Lord Mountbatten in seasons 3 and 4 of The Crown. In season 4, the naval officer’s 1979 assassination and its impact on the royal family is depicted.

Edwards took over for Harry Hadden-Patton as Queen Elizabeth’s private secretary for seasons 3 and 4. He was a trusted confidant for the monarch prior to her time as queen, nurturing their close relationship up until his departure from royal service.

Ben Daniels took on the role of Princess Margaret’s husband, Anthony Armstrong-Jones, the Earl of Snowdon, in season 3.

American actor John Lithgow played the legendary prime minister Winston Churchill in seasons 1 and 2, as well as a brief cameo in the season 3 premiere.

Queen Elizabeth was played by English actor Claire Foy for seasons 1 and 2.

English actor Matt Smith played the uncompromisingly bold Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, for seasons 1 and 2.

The Queen Mother was played by English actress Victoria Hamilton for seasons 1 and 2.

Princess Margaret was played by English actress Vanessa Kirby in seasons 1 and 2 of The Crown.

English actor Matthew Goode played Antony Armstrong-Jones, later known as the Earl of Snowdon, in season 2. (You may recognize Goode from his role as Lady Mary’s last love interest in Downton Abbey.)

Prince Charles was played by Julian Baring in the early seasons of The Crown.

English actor Jared Harris appeared in season 1 as King George VI.

Alex Jennings plays the queen’s uncle, the Duke of Windsor (formerly King Edward VIII), in The Crown.

Wallis Simpson, played by English actress Lia Williams, was an American socialite and the wife of the former King Edward VIII.

The matriarch of the Windsor family, Queen Mary of Teck, was played by Eileen Atkins in The Crown. The Queen consort passed away in 1953, but served as a mentor to Queen Elizabeth II during her first year as monarch.

Peter Townsend, played by English actor Ben Miles in seasons 1 and 2, was the Equerry to King George VI and for Queen Elizabeth from 1944 to 1952. He fell in love with Princess Margaret.

Clementine Spencer-Churchill remained by her husband’s side through his multiple terms as Prime Minister, as depicted throughout season 1 of The Crown by actress Harriet Walter.

Anthony Eden, The Earl of Avon, played by English actor Jeremy Northam in seasons 1 and 2, became the Prime Minister after Winston Churchill stepped down in April of 1955.

Former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan was played by English actor Anton Lesser in season 2.

Dorothy, played by Sylvestra Le Touzel, was the wife of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. It was her relationship with another gentleman that drove most of her plot lines in season 2 of The Crown and captured the public’s intrigue.

The queen’s private secretary, Michael Adeane, is played by English actor Will Keen in seasons 1 and 2.

Martin Charteris, played by Harry Hadden-Paton in early episodes of The Crown, was educated at Eton and worked as the private secretary to Queen Elizabeth when she was merely a Princess. After the death of her father, Charteris moved to her Buckingham Palace team and worked as her assistant private secretary alongside Sir Michael Adeane.

After serving three British monarchs—George V, Edward VIII, and George VI—Alan “Tommy” Lascelles (played by Pip Torrens in seasons 1 and 2, with a cameo in season 3) was a pillar of support for the newly minted queen and served as her private secretary until his retirement a year later.

Louis Mountbatten was a naval officer and the former Viceroy of India. Played by Greg Wise in the first two seasons of the Netflix show, Mountbatten is the uncle of Prince Philip and had a close relationship with Prince Charles until his assassination in 1979 by the Provisional IRA.

Mike Parker, played by Daniel Ings, is featured throughout the first two seasons of The Crown. As equerry to the Duke of Edinburgh, as well as his close friend, Parker joined Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth on their royal tours and visits. However, when his wife Eileen divorced him citing “adultery,” he was forced to resign.

Eileen Parker, played by Chloe Pirrie in season 2, was not prepared for the attention that would come with divorcing the Duke’s private equerry. In 1958, she was granted a divorce based on evidence of adultery during the Duke’s royal tour.

Artist and photographer Cecil Beaton was portrayed in season 2 by actor Mark Tandy. He is the creative behind Princess Margaret’s iconic birthday portrait.

In season 2, The Crown shines a light upon journalist Lord Altrincham, who was played by John Heffernan. The writer caused controversy in the early ’60s for his critical essays of the queen. In a private meeting, Lord Altrincham offered advice to the palace that was eventually incorporated by the royals as they adjusted to a rapidly modernizing era.

President Kennedy, played by Michael C. Hall, was portrayed as a bit of a bully who was insecure about his wife’s spotlight on their European tour. The episode “Dear Mrs. Kennedy” in season 2 takes a peek at the iconic couple’s closed door relationship and follows the duo up to the president’s assassination.

The ever-glamorous Jackie Kennedy visited Buckingham Palace in 1961 and was portrayed by Jodi Balfour in season 2. The meeting of the First Lady and the queen was highly covered by the press, but the two did not appear to be steadfast friends. Jackie is said to have criticized the queen’s style, as well as the palace.

Billy Graham, a reverend from North Carolina, rose to prominence in the ’60s after he began broadcasting his sermons across the country and eventually internationally. Paul Sparks portrays the figure who, while touring the United Kingdom, was invited to an informal meeting with the queen, who had become a fan of his work.

In season 2 of The Crown, fans get a peak at the tragic upbringing of Prince Philip in the episode “Paterfamilias,” as well as his especially close relationship with his older sister, Princess Cecilie. Cecilie, who was played by Leonie Benesch, was killed when her plane crashed while traveling to London from Germany with her children, husband, and mother-in-law.

The former girlfriend of Antony Armstrong-Jones, actress Jacqui Chan, is played by Alice Hewkin in season 2 of The Crown. Born in Trinidad, Chan rose to fame in the London play “The World of Suzie Wong.” She and Armstrong-Jones were involved up until he met Princess Margaret and the actress was even in attendance at their royal wedding in 1960.