Olivia Takes The Throne

They’re changing the guard at Buckingham Palace as Olivia Colman joins royal drama The Crown

With her hair coiffured into an unmistakably majestic style and two rows of pearls draped around her neck, Olivia Colman looks effortlessly regal as she ascends the throne this week as Queen Elizabeth II.

The Oscar-winning actress leads a brand-new cast in Netflix hit drama The Crown as the lavish royal saga returns for a third outing, with Colman and Tobias Menzies succeeding original cast members Claire Foy and Matt Smith as Elizabeth and Prince Philip.

With seasons one and two having covered the early years of Elizabeth’s reign, the new 10-part run picks up the story in 1964, and opens during a momentous time for the monarchy, with the election of Harold Wilson (Jason Watkins) as Prime Minister closely followed by the death of the Queen’s old favourite Sir Winston Churchill.

And with Helena Bonham Carter, Charles Dance, Sir Derek Jacobi, and Ben Daniels also joining the cast, there is plenty more royal intrigue on the way as we follow the Windsors through to the Queen’s silver jubilee in 1977.