The Crown's 10 Best Portrayals Of Real-Life Figures

Published Sep 7, 2026, 10:48 PM EDT

Dani Kessel Odom (they/them) is an autistic lead writer and TV critic who covers sci-fi shows like Doctor Who and Pluribus, fantasy shows like The Magicians and Percy Jackson, and horror of all kinds. They also cover Marvel and DC TV shows and movies, with a robust knowledge of comic books. Their TV reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.

Dani is also part of ScreenRant's books team, using their fiction writing and literature studies as the backbone for their book analyses.

They have covered events, such as the Denver Fan Expo. Professionals in the field, such as Damien Leone and Lucy Hale, have shared their articles. Their review of Ponies was quoted in the show's TV trailer.

In university, they majored in English Writing with a minor in psychology. They have always had a passion for analyzing TV and movies, even taking filmography and scriptwriting classes in university. They also studied and participated in onstage and onscreen acting extensively from the ages of 7 to 18.

Aside from working at Screen Rant, Dani has worked as a freelance editor and writer over the past decade, often in a ghostwriting capacity.

Netflix’s The Crown brought many real-life figures to life, and these ten are the best portrayals. While many Netflix shows have found success, The Crown stands out as one of the most successful both critically and with the global audience. The TV show was the streamer’s biggest winner ever at the Emmys, collecting 69 nominations and 21 awards. The show was so popular that it ran for six seasons, covering almost six decades of British royal history. Some of the most popular royals in recent years came to the screen.

The Crown is very obviously a drama. The story leans into real-life events, but it’s by no means a true account of history. Instead, it exaggerates reality and threads events together into a fluid narrative that is entertaining but not necessarily 100% truthful. That said, some of the performers did a great job mimicking the mannerisms and speech of the real-life figures. Plus, they made real people with very distinct and distant public personas feel more easy to connect with. For that reason, these are the ten best portrayals of real-life individuals in The Crown, whether or not the writing is truthful.

10 John Lithgow As Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill is a widely known political figure, and his public image has endured. However, John Lithgow succeeded when playing him in The Crown by rejecting the public image in favor of something more real. When speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Lithgow revealed that he was nervous about playing the famous man, so he did his research, and it paid off.

He read the three-volume biography The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill by William Manchester, honing in on the childhood experiences that shaped Churchill and his physical decline late in life. There’s plenty of dimension in Lithgow’s performance. On top of that, he went to great lengths to recreate Churchill’s look. He used custom plumpers to change his facial shape and speech. Plus, he stuffed cotton up his nose to make his voice more nasal.

9 Lesley Manville As Princess Margaret

Of the three actors who played Princess Margaret, the best was Lesley Manville, who portrayed the aging royal in The Crown seasons 5 and 6. Manville told the Los Angeles Times that she was excited to play a woman who was so vibrant and lively in her youth but had all that taken away late in life. She ultimately gave Princess Margaret the perfect balance of a woman coping with aging and one who remains rebellious and independent in older age.

One of her most impactful episodes is “Ritz,” where her health really falters. To get it right, she met with people who had varying levels of stroke severity and worked with a dialect coach. This attention to detail heightens her performance. Plus, she and Imelda Staunton had fantastic chemistry, making the relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret feel real.

8 Josh O’Connor As Prince Charles

Josh O’Connor won an Emmy for his role as Prince Charles in The Crown, and he truly deserved it. Prince Charles wasn’t the most accurate character because the writing overemphasized some publicly known real traits, such as his temper and sulking. However, the actor knocked it out of the park with what he was given. In other hands, Prince Charles would have felt like a villain from the start. However, O’Connor humanized him by showing the character as being crushed under the pressure of royalty. This makes it feel like a true progression into unsympathetic territory.

What’s more, he put attention into replicating the real-life figure’s voice, posture, and nervous ticks. He speaks through his teeth and replicates little pronunciation differences. He also mirrored things like adjusting his signet ring, putting one hand in his suit jacket, and pulling at his cuffs.

7 Elizabeth Debicki As Diana, Princess Of Wales

Diana, Princess of Wales, is an extremely difficult role for any actor to play because the real-life figure was so unbelievably beloved. The adoration adds extra weight on the shoulders of any actor. Luckily, both actors who played the commoner-turned-royal did a fantastic job. As the older version of Diana, Debicki had to contend with the more public part of the woman’s life. Luckily, she brings plenty of emotional depth to the role, making Diana feel stressed but still warm, kind, and loving.

On top of that, Debicki mastered Diana’s elegance, mirroring her posture and movement. She worked to mirror the Princess’s over-annunciation and cadence, practicing while doing daily tasks to build muscle memory (via The Tonight Show). Ultimately, all the work really helped make this one of the best portrayals of Diana, Princess of Wales.

6 Gillian Anderson As Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher is remembered as the “Iron Lady,” a title that reflects her uncompromising politics and steadfast leadership. Gillian Anderson captured this part of the real-life woman, but she also made the character more three-dimensional by showing the other parts of Thatcher that exist behind the moniker. She looked into the woman’s life to understand how she became the memorable public figure, then she brought that to the screen. The portrayal is made better by the accurate physicality and speech.

Beyond the individual performance, Anderson succeeds because of the scenes involving Queen Elizabeth II. She and Olivia Colman created tension between the politician and the royal. While it’s likely an exaggerated version of their clashes, Thatcher and Queen Elizabeth did really have a tense relationship.

5 Olivia Williams As Camilla Parker Bowles

Olivia Williams is a unique case in The Crown in that she didn’t actually focus on strictly mimicking Camila Parker Bowles physicality. She still did capture Queen Camilla’s posture at that time in her life, and the costuming made her feel even more convincing. Instead, she focused on emotional accuracy. Williams made Camilla feel like a resilient woman facing undue scrutiny from the press, who paint her as a villain.

She delivered Camilla’s dry humor and restraint exceptionally well. What’s more, the actor looked into the woman’s rumored quirks, adding them to her performance. Ultimately, the writing and Olivia Williams’ portrayal of Camilla Parker Bowles humanized the woman and made her feel sympathetic, and The Crown gave Diana the same treatment. It was truly refreshing to see a show that didn’t demonize either of the royals.

4 Erin Doherty As Princess Anne

Erin Doherty was an absolute scene stealer in The Crown, in the best way possible, with her perfect comedic timing and dry sarcasm delivery. This made Princess Anne one of the most likable characters in seasons 3 and 4 of The Crown. Like nearly every member of the cast, Doherty spent time studying the real-life royal’s physical mannerisms and replicating the speech patterns. She did a fantastic job mimicking the heavy, posh accent and fast talking.

Doherty also captured Princess Anne’s well-documented no-nonsense attitude and moments of independence. However, she also made the royal feel a little warmer and more accessible, which was especially important for this character, as it always seemed like we were seeing Princess Anne through a glass window. There was a wider emotional distance to bridge.

3 Emma Corrin As Young Diana, Princess Of Wales

Emma Corrin (they/them) played a young Diana, Princess of Wales, in season 4, and, as I previously said, they did a great job bringing the icon to life on screen. The actor mirrored Diana’s tendency to trail off at the end of a sentence, giving her a softer, more sincere feel. They studied the tapes from Diana: In Her Own Words to capture the voice and personality.

Corrin also copied Diana’s tendency to tilt her head down and look up with her eyes through her bangs. Aside from those big parallels, the actor also shows Diana’s rapid transition from a normal teenager to a beloved global figure. They kept the Princess’s small bit of interior resistance against the royal system.

2 Jared Harris As King George VI

Jared Harris felt a lot of pressure playing King George VI, but his performance is remembered as one of the best. This monarch is another instance in which the story deviated from strict historical accuracy, and Jared Harris also admitted that he looked nothing like the monarch in real-life when speaking on Q with Tom Power. However, Harris still succeeds because he presents a more complex portrayal of George VI, which is refreshing compared to other hagiographic versions of the man.

His version of King George VI is hot-tempered, cunning, and curses a lot, but he’s also a loving family man. Harris convincingly portrays both sides of the monarch. He also captured the speech impediment without overexaggerating it, unlike Colin Firth in The King’s Speech. The actor ultimately made more of an impact in two episodes than others did in multiple seasons.

1 Claire Foy As Young Queen Elizabeth II

Claire Foy is the first person to take on the role of Queen Elizabeth II, and her performance as the young royal is what anchored the first two seasons. Foy presents the Queen as a human being instead of a figurehead, making her more vulnerable than most portrayals of the real-life woman. Elizabeth gets frustrated and insecure at times, really feeling the pressure placed on her.

Aside from making Queen Elizabeth II easier to empathize with, she also successfully mimics the mannerisms of the real-life woman. She has the same posture and hand placement. Her voice sounds remarkably similar, and she even moves her mouth minimally while speaking, like the real Queen. Unsurprisingly, Claire Foy won two Emmys and a Golden Globe for her performance in The Crown. What’s more, Queen Elizabeth’s former press secretary criticized Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton’s performances as not realistic, but called Foy’s performance “brilliant” in Marie Claire.