'The Crown's' Helena Bonham Carter reveals the advice Princess Margaret 'gave her' through a psychic

Helena Bonham Carter has confirmed that she spoke to a psychic ahead of her performance in The Crown.

It was reported last month that the 53-year-old star had tried to get in touch with Princess Margaret, the Queen’s sister, who died aged 71 in 2002, via a medium before accepting a role in the Netflix series.

Speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, according to the Guardian, Bonham Carter revealed what the late Royal had to say about her casting.

“She said, apparently, she was glad it was me,” she said. “My main thing when you play someone who is real, you kind of want their blessing because you have a responsibility.

“So I asked her: ‘Are you OK with me playing you?’ and she said: ‘You’re better than the other actress’ … that they were thinking of. They will not admit who it was. It was me and somebody else.

“That made me think maybe she is here, because that is a classic Margaret thing to say. She was really good at complimenting you and putting you down at the same time.”

Read more: First look at Charles and Camilla in The Crown season 3

The actor also says that Princess Margaret gave her acting notes from beyond the grave.

Bonham Carter said: “Then she said: ‘But you’re going to have to brush up and be more groomed and neater.’ Then she said: ‘Get the smoking right. I smoked in a very particular way. Remember that – this is a big note – the cigarette holder was as much a weapon for expression as it was for smoking.’”

The Harry Potter actor is set to take over from Vanessa Kirby as Margaret for the third season of the lavish historical drama, while Olivia Colman will replace Claire Foy in the lead role as Queen Elizabeth II.

Cast members on the hit series, created by BAFTA-winning writer Peter Morgan, are due to be replaced every two seasons in order to reflect the story of Queen Elizabeth’s lengthy reign.

Read more: Watch The Crown season 3 teaser trailer

Bonham Carter previously told Vanity Fair in 2018 that meeting Princess Margaret was a “pretty scary” experience.

At the festival, she also revealed that she spoke to Margaret's inner circle including three ladies-in-waiting, a couple of relatives, a very close relative and some really close friends.

The Crown season three will air on Netflix in November.