THE JOY OF PLAYING ANNE

Actress Erin Doherty is being hailed for her role as the Princess Royal in The Crown

- DENNIS CAVERNELIS

SHE’S a remarkable royal, straight-talking and hard-working, her father’s favorite child, her mother’s only daughter, an Olympic equestrian – and an enigma to many.

Which is why, when Erin Doherty’s agent rang her up to say she should audition for the role of Princess Anne in The Crown, she was rather daunted.

“My agent was like, ‘This has come up. Come on, let’s do this’. And I was like, ‘But I don’t know anything about Anne!’

“But it’s The Crown, I’m obviously not going to say no. I went away and did my research and I fell in love with her.”

The result is one of the breakthrough roles of the fourth season of The Crown – which is fast shaping up to be one of the most controversial and talked about shows of 2020.

Writer Peter Morgan has been criticized for passing fiction off as fact, opening old wounds by delving into Princess Diana’s unhappy marriage, and twisting history for the sake of mainstream entertainment.

There is even a call in the UK for Morgan to put a “This is fiction” disclaimer at the start of each episode.

But one thing is not in dispute: the excellent acting – a category Erin falls solidly in. The 28-year-old actress has garnered much praise for her portrayal of Princess Anne, including from the BBC’s TV critic who says she plays the royal with intensity, allure “and a mouth permanently pursed in pent-up fury”.

Erin has nothing but admiration for the princess.