Vanessa Kirby 'really excited' to watch Josh O'Connor's Prince Charles on 'The Crown'

Former star of The Crown Vanessa Kirby has revealed her excitement at getting to watch Josh O'Connor's portrayal of Prince Charles on the series when it returns for a third instalment.

Kirby, 31, played Princess Margaret for the first two seasons of the Netflix hit, but as the series is moving on to explore another period in Queen Elizabeth II's life, the role has been taken on by Helen Bonham Carter.

She has now divulged that she's looking forward to "just enjoying" the programme as a viewer and watching her friend's performance.

Read more: First look at Charles and Diana in The Crown series four

“My friend Josh is apparently absolutely unbelievable in it. I’m really excited to watch his performance," she told PA.

“And to see, not necessarily how they’ve taken on the parts, but more just to be a viewer. I never knew what that experience was and when everyone was really lovely and responding to it, I was like, it’s very hard to know what people see.

“I thought my granny would like it and fall asleep, and so when people liked it… it was quite a surprise for us.

“So it’ll be really nice to watch it again in a context when I can just enjoy it.”

While the Prince was featured in the first two series as a young boy, played by Billy Jenkins and Julian Baring, the new episodes will explore his adulthood and relationships with Princess Diana and Camila Shand as well as his coronation as the Prince of Wales.

Bonham Carter has unveiled her unusual methods in approaching the the role of Princess Margaret, revealing she used a psychic to contact her.

Meanwhile, while Claire Foy played the monarch for the first two runs, Academy Award winner Olivia Colman is stepping into the main role.

The Crown season three will launch on Netflix on Sunday 17 November.

With reporting by PA.