The Crown season 4: How the cast compare to their real-life royal counterparts

The Crown returns for its long-anticipated fourth season on Sunday (15 November).

Season four marks Olivia Colman’s final outing as Queen Elizabeth II, as well as Tobias Menzies’s final season as Prince Philip. Josh O’Connor will also be returning to the role of Prince Charles, along with Erin Doherty as Princess Anne and Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret.

However, all eyes are likely to be on the show’s newcomers, with season four focusing on two key figures from the 1980s: Margaret Thatcher, played by Gillian Anderson, and Lady Diana Spencer, played by Emma Corrin.

Playing such easily recognisable characters comes with its own set of challenges for the Crown cast, who have to not only look like the people they’re playing, but also bring their own interpretation to the roles rather than simply parodying them.

Here’s how The Crown season four cast compare to the real-life people they’re portraying…

Queen Elizabeth II – Olivia Colman

Prince Philip – Tobias Menzies

Prince Charles – Josh O’Connor

Princess Anne – Erin Doherty

Princess Margaret – Helena Bonham Carter

Lady Diana Spencer – Emma Corrin

Margaret Thatcher – Gillian Anderson

The Crown season four is released on Netflix on Sunday 15 November

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Gillian Anderson is extraordinary as Thatcher in The Crown