HELENA BONHAM CARTER BECOMES PRINCESS MARGARET IN The Crown
Helena Bonham Carter is no stranger to playing members of the royal family, having portrayed the late Queen Mother in the film The King’s Speech. And The Crown’s new trailer shows her recreating Lord Snowdon’s daring image of Princess Margaret in 1962 wearing her tiara in the bath ahead of the release of series three in just two weeks.
Helena has taken over the role from Vanessa Kirby and looks every bit as regal as the Queen’s sister was.
While the first two seasons of the show focused on the Queen’s first years as ruler and her marriage to Prince Philip, the new season, which airs on Netflix, will see Olivia Colman take over from Claire Foy as the Queen entering her jubilee year.
It has also showed Margaret’s heartbreak as her relationship to divorcé Captain Peter Townsend was forced to end. Now it will see her marriage to Lord Snowdon, then Antony Armstrong-jones, who she married in 1960. He was the first ‘commoner’ to wed a king’s daughter in more than 400 years and they had two children, David and Sarah, but the pair weren’t happy and by 1978 they announced they were to divorce.
Despite her own romantic failings, the trailer shows Margaret in her royal duty of reassuring her sister when the country is in a state of flux.
Helena says she researched the role from friends of Margaret’s. ‘They loved the woman and were very happy to talk about her because they miss her,’ she said.
‘She just couldn’t feign, which is an appalling lack when you are famous and you have to meet all these people. Whatever was in her head popped out of her mouth.
She was like a time bomb.’
Olivia Colman says she was told by Prince William that the royal family don’t watch The Crown and this was confirmed by historian Robert Lacey, who says the historical drama is too close to the reality.
‘Whenever any of them are asked about The Crown, they always deny watching it. That may be because imagination can convey a truth that facts themselves cannot,’ Lacey said, adding: ‘It’s not a documentary, but there’s a team of historical researchers who examine every detail intensely to make sure what we see people feeling on screen feels right.’
Filming is also under way for season four of the show, which sees Gillian Anderson play former prime minister Margaret Thatcher. She tweeted: ‘I’m so excited to be joining the cast and crew of The Crown and to have the opportunity to portray such a complicated and controversial woman. Thatcher was undoubtedly formidable but I am relishing exploring beneath the surface and, dare I say, falling in love with the icon who, whether loved or despised, defined an era.’
HELENA BONHAM CARTER AND OLIVIA COLMAN TAKE THE SHOW BY STORM