Here's what the cast of 'The Crown' looks like in real life

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

Foy won a Golden Globe for her work in "The Crown," and actually thanked the real Queen Elizabeth in her acceptance speech, according to The Telegraph.

"I really, really, really wouldn't be here if it wasn't for some extraordinary women, and I'm going to thank them. One of them is Queen Elizabeth II," he said. "She has been at the center of the world for the past 63 years, and I think the world could do with a few more women at the center of it, if you ask me."

Queen Elizabeth II is a mother of four children on season three.

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

Staunton was announced as the lead in 2020, when it was still thought that the show would only be five seasons, The Hollywood Reporter reported.

"As an actor it was a joy to see how both Claire Foy and Olivia Colman brought something special and unique to Peter Morgan's scripts. I am genuinely honoured to be joining such an exceptional creative team and to be taking 'The Crown' to its conclusion," said Staunton.

The real Queen Elizabeth died in September 2022.

Besides that, though, Staunton has had a decades-long acting career. She also has acted with her husband, Jim Carter, in both "Downton Abbey" films.

Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip first met in 1934 at the wedding of Princess Marina and Prince George, according to the Royal Family's official website. They got married on November 20, 1947.

Smith was the source of a media firestorm and online outrage when it was revealed that he was paid more than Foy during their time on "The Crown."

He responded by speaking out in support of equal pay.

The real Elizabeth and Philip were married for an incredible 73 years until Philip's death in 2021.

He played Edmure Tully, the brother of Catelyn Stark and uncle of Sansa, Arya, and Bran — and the aspiring king who was roundly mocked on the series finale.

On the flip side, he played the absolutely terrifying Black Jack Randall in "Outlander," as well as his sweeter descendant Frank Randall.

Most recently, he starred opposite Julia Louis-Dreyfus in "You Hurt My Feelings."

At the time of Philip's death in 2021, he was the longest-serving British royal consort.

Pryce was cast in August 2020, just a few months after he was nominated for an Oscar his performance in "The Two Popes," according to Deadline.

Pryce is also known for his roles in "Game of Thrones," the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, and "Tomorrow Never Dies."

Doherty plays an older Princess Anne, the only daughter and second child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

"To be a part of 'The Crown' feels both special and surreal," Doherty wrote of her new role 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." 

Season five covered the demise of Princess Anne's first marriage and her courtship with now-husband Timothy Laurence.

"Anne's an extraordinary character. She's not there to make people feel better about themselves, but she is superb at her job and is a proper feminist," Harrison told Town and Country. "She's someone we can really look up to and I think she has no sense of entitlement."

King Charles is the eldest child of the royal couple. He was invested as Prince of Wales by the Queen on July 1, 1969.

After his mother Queen Elizabeth's death in 2022, he was officially crowned as King Charles III in May 2023.

"Seasons three and four will follow some of the most turbulent events in the Prince 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 of his role in a statement.

"He's a fascinating man, Charles, and it's a fascinating life, and a fascinating role. I mean, apart from anything else, it's a huge show, and I loved the first four seasons. I realized that I could very happily live with this character for two years," West told Entertainment Weekly.

Season six will cover the death of his ex-wife, Diana, and his 2005 wedding to Camilla, the now-Queen Consort.

West's hair is a little shaggier in real life.

Lady Diana Spencer — who became Princess Diana following her marriage to Prince Charles — was a huge presence in season four of "The Crown."

"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."

The real Diana met Prince Charles in 1977, when he was dating her older sister, and they got married after a brief courtship in 1981.

Corrin has appeared in British series such as "Grantchester" and "Pennyworth," as well as films like "My Policeman" and the recent Netflix adaptation of "Lady Chatterley's Lover."

Like their co-star Josh O'Connor, Corrin won a Golden Globe for their performance on "The Crown." Corrin was also nominated for an Emmy.

Princess Diana's death in 1997 is in season six of "The Crown."

"It's my hope that people feel that there's an enormous evolution in her as the season progresses. For me, it's a journey into a human finding a part of themselves that is profoundly strong — there's a piece that has survived so much and can flourish," Debicki told Entertainment Weekly.

Debicki is known her roles in "Widows," "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" and "Vol. 3," "Tenet," and "The Great Gatsby."

In real life, she also sports an Australian accent, as she hails from Melbourne.

One of the most iconic — and uncomfortable — scenes in "The Crown" is between Fennell's Camilla and Corrin's Princess Diana, when they passive-aggressively compete over Charles.

Fennell's role as Midge was one of the silliest parts of "Barbie," but nevertheless iconic.

Season five addressed one of the most infamous moments in recent royal history: "Tampongate."

According to Radio Times, the final conversation in all of "The Crown" will be one between Queen Elizabeth and Camila, Williams said.

Williams said that "in the very last moments of the last episode," the Queen "finally accepts Camilla and is warm and complimentary to her."

Williams is set to star in the upcoming "Dune" spin-off, "Dune: Prophecy."

Fayed died in the 1997 car crash that also took Diana's life.

Diana and Dodi began their relationship earlier that year, and the two were soon discussing engagement, the Washington Post reported.

Abdalla felt pressure to get his performance of Fayed just right. He called it "one of the great honors of my life" to play him, according to Deadline.

"People know his name and they know virtually nothing else about him. What did he sound like? What was his story?" he said. "There are people who still ask me if he's alive, and that tells you a lot about the world we live in."

Princess Margaret was entangled in a forbidden romance throughout season one. The relationship was one of the biggest scandals in royal family history. 

Kirby has also appeared in "Jupiter Ascending," "Mission: Impossible — Fallout," "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning," and the upcoming "Napoleon" opposite Joaquin Phoenix.

In 2021, Kirby was nominated for her first Academy Award for her performance in "Pieces of a Woman."

"I'm not sure which I'm more terrified about — doing justice to the real Princess Margaret or following in the shoes of Vanessa Kirby," she said in a statement. "The only thing I can guarantee is that I'll be shorter than Vanessa."

"The Crown" wasn't Carter's first foray into the royal family; she won an Oscar for "The King's Speech," in which she played Queen Elizabeth II's mother.

She was also nominated for back-to-back Emmys for "The Crown."

Manville called Princess Margaret "so avant-garde. So naughty, delightful and funny. What a wonderful woman to play" during an interview with Deadline.

"The Crown" isn't Manville's only period TV show — she also starred in the Starz adaptation of "Dangerous Liaisons" in 2022.

When Margaret asked for her sister's permission to marry Townsend, Queen Elizabeth II refused, according to Town and Country.

Because he was previously divorced, the Church of England and Parliament were reportedly against the match, despite the public's support.

He is also known for his roles in "V for Vendetta" and "Speed Racer." Miles has recently appeared in "Andor," and had a role in the "Tetris" movie.

Miles will reunite with Kirby in on screen in "Napoleon," as well.

Dalton appeared in just one episode of season five, but it was an impactful appearance as Princess Margaret took stock of her life and her many relationships over the years.

Dalton will be best known for his two films as 007 in the '80s: "The Living Daylights" and "Licence to Kill."

Three years after announcing that she wouldn't marry Townsend, Margaret married Armstrong-Jones, who later became known as Lord Snowden.

The couple's love story had some scandalous twists and turns.

He has also appeared in films like "Leap Year," "The King's Man," and "Downton Abbey," as well as the miniseries about "The Godfather," "The Offer."

After the birth of their second child in 1964, Armstrong-Jones began sleeping with other women while away on photographic assignments, The Evening Standard reported.

Daniels recently starred on season two of the Apple TV+ series "Foundation" and will appear in the upcoming spy film "Argylle."

The real-life Queen Mary died in 1953.

Atkins has recently starred in "Magic in the Moonlight" and "Paddington 2."

The Queen Mother is the affectionate name given to Elizabeth and Margaret's mother, who was was the wife of King George VI.

Hamilton, an accomplished stage actress, starred in the 1995 film "Pride and Prejudice" and the 1999 film "Mansfield Park."

"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."

Marion Bailey is known for films like "Allied," "Mr. Turner," "Vera Drake," and the Netflix miniseries "All the Light We Cannot See."

The Queen Mother lived to be an impressive 101 years old, dying in 2002.

Her death will be covered in season six.

Warren is a two-time Olivier Award winner.

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

His daughter Elizabeth became queen directly following his death in 1952.

Harris played another king, the infamous Henry VIII, in "The Other Boleyn Girl."

His father was the late Richard Harris, who is best-known now as the original Dumbledore.

Directly after his father died in 1936, Edward VIII took the throne. Less than a year later, in a scandalous, unprecedented move, he renounced the throne in order to marry an American divorcee.

Jennings has also starred on recent TV series like "This Is Going to Hurt," "Small Axe," and "Four Weddings and a Funeral."

The episode, "Dangling Man," focused on the former king's attempts to reconcile with his family, and his last meeting with his niece, the Queen, before his death in 1972.

Like many other "Crown" actors, this wasn't the first time he appeared in a project about the royal family. He had a role in "The King's Speech" as Cosmo Gordon Lang, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Simpson, an American socialite, was divorced twice before she fell in love with the royal. After Edward abdicated the throne for her, they married in 1937 and stayed together until Edward's death in 1972.

Williams is known for films like "The Foreigner" and "The Missing," and the HBO series "His Dark Materials."

The real Simpson lived to be 89, dying in 1986.

Many members of the royal family attended her funeral, even though it was her relationship with the Duke of Windsor that led to his abdication.

You might know her daughter, Oona, from her role as Talisa in "Game of Thrones."

Mountbatten was a great-grandson of Queen Victoria.

He also co-wrote the Emilia Clarke rom-com "Last Christmas" with his wife.

Churchill was prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945, and again from 1951 to 1955.

He had to don the fat suit again to play Fox magnate Roger Ailes in "Bombshell," reported Indiewire.

According to the History Channel, Churchill credited his wife as "the primary driver behind his astonishingly successful life."

Walter portrayed Rebecca's mom Deborah in "Ted Lasso," and Caroline, the mother of Kendall, Siobhan, and Roman Roy, in "Succession."

She reunited with her "Crown" co-star Alex Jennings in the 2022 holiday film "Your Christmas or Mine?"

Eden succeeded Churchill in 1955.

Northam acted alongside Gwyneth Paltrow in "Emma" and Sandra Bullock in "The Net."

Harold Macmillan took over as prime minister when Sir Anthony Eden resigned in 1957.

You may also recognize Lesser for his role as Qyburn in "Game of Thrones" or Major Partagaz in "Andor."

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.

He also starred on the British comedy-drama series "Being Human."

Anderson, best known for her long-time role as Scully in "The X-Files," took on the Iron Lady during season four.

Thatcher became the first female prime minister when she was elected in 1979. She held the position until 1990.

Anderson, who can most recently be seen in Netflix's "Sex Education," released a statement on joining the show, Variety reported.

"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," she said.

Anderson won a Golden Globe, an Emmy, a SAG Award, and a Critics' Choice Award for her performance as Thatcher.

Major was the political leader of the UK from 1990 to 1997.

Miller might best be known to audiences for playing Sherlock Holmes in the show "Elementary," or as Angelina Jolie's first husband.

He also starred in "Trainspotting" and its sequel.