98% of the general public say they've learnt more about British heritage from Netflix original The Crown than they did in their school history lessons*. As filming on the third season begins, here's everything you need to know about the next visual interpretation of Queen Elizabeth II's life.
*Not a real stat. Although it's possibly true.
Is there a release date for The Crown Season 3?
Not yet, though Olivia Colman revealed yesterday [June 4 2018] that she is about to start filming as the new Queen Elizabeth II, taking over from Claire Foy.
"I haven't started [filming] that yet. It starts in July, [I] haven't read it yet" she said, before jokingly adding, "I'm going to play her Welsh."
As for the release date, we can assume the release will follow the pattern of previous years (season 1 was released in November 2016 and season 2 in December 2017), which means it's likely that The Crown season 3 will air in late 2018.
It's unconfirmed though, because the BBC reports Season 3 of The Crown won't air until 2019.
Who will star in The Crown Season 3?
Radio Times report Erin Doherty, who has appeared in Call the Midwife, has been cast as Princess Anne in the third season of The Crown, and will play the daughter of Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman) and Prince Philip (Tobias Menzies) in the new series.
Daily Mail are reporting today [9 May] that Josh O'Connor, who plays Larry in ITV's The Durrells, will play Prince Charles in the next series, portraying the future king throughout his late teens and early 20s.
Tobias Menzies will replace Matt Smith as Prince Philip for seasons 3 and 4, Netflix have previously confirmed.
Game of Thrones fans will know Menzies as Edmure Tully, while he has also starred in Outlander.
Avengers star Paul Bettany was also reportedly a favourite, but had to abdicate the role for unspecified reasons.
Olivia Colman will take over from Claire Foy to play Queen Elizabeth II.
Helena Bonham Carter is reportedly replacing Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret, which the actress all but confirmed when she posted a picture of the two together on Instagram with the caption, "Honoured @thecrownnetflix".
Meanwhile, Victoria Hamilton, who plays the Queen Mother, told Harper's BAZAAR UK she hopes Abigail McKern will take on her role, but, "I don't know who it will be."
As for other characters, Michael C Hall, who plays US President John F Kennedy in season two, isn't expected to return as JFK was assassinated in 1963, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill passed in 1965, so he's unlikely to appear either.
Producer Suzanne Mackie revealed during a Q&A a new addition to The Crown, commenting, "We start meeting Camilla Parker Bowles in season three.
"We have to be honest, season three and four are being mapped out and the closer the history comes – I now can say, 'God, I know exactly what I was feeling when that happened, I remember that and I remember this.' That's so exciting!"
What will happen in The Crown Season 3?
Seeing as season 2 wrapped with the birth of the Queen's fourth and final child Prince Edward in 1964, we can assume season 2 will pick up right where the story left off.
The show's history consultant Robert Lacey told Town&Country, "We’re now writing season three, and without giving anything away—it’s on the record, it’s history—we’ll see the breakup of this extraordinary marriage between Margaret and Snowdon. This season, you see how it starts, and what a strange character, a brilliant character Snowden was."
Showrunner Peter Morgan confirmed to People that Princess Diana will make her first appearance toward the end of Season 3 before becoming a main character in Seasons 4 and 5.
Per The Sunday Times, it "will be the Wilson era", referring to Harold Wilson, the prime minister from 1964 to 1970 and 1974 to 1976.
Is there a trailer yet?
The first trailer for season 2 was released in August 2017, four months before The Crown dropped in full, which means we've got a little while yet before we can expect a first look at series 3.
30 The Crown characters with their real-life counterparts
Dusty Baxter-Wright is an award-winning journalist and the Entertainment Editor at Cosmopolitan, having previously worked at Sugarscape. She was named one of PPA’s 30 Under 30 for her work covering pop culture, careers, interiors and travel, and oversees the site’s Entertainment and Lifestyle strategy across print, digital and video. As a journalist for the best part of a decade, she has interviewed everyone from Louis Theroux and Channing Tatum to Margot Robbie and Ncuti Gatwa, while she has also spoken on Times Radio and BBC Radio. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram here.
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