'Are you my wife or my Queen?' A first look at Claire Foy and Matt Smith in The Crown

The Netflix series traces the parallel stories of Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street through the second half of the 20th century

She was Anne Boleyn in Wolf Hall; he was the enjoyably eccentric 11th Doctor on Doctor Who. Now Claire Foy and Matt Smith are set to play Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in the first 10 episodes of The Crown.

Based on Peter Morgan’s play The Audience, Netflix’s adaptation will trace the parallel stories of Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street through the second half of the 20th century, with each season taking a decade of the Queen’s reign, exploring her public and private life, as well as political rivalries and the changing shape of the monarchy.

“It’s not as easy as it looks …” says Elizabeth in this first clip as she tries on the crown for size, while Philip steels the 25-year-old Princess for a showdown with Winston Churchill (John Lithgow).

The Crown on Netflix.

Contributor

Richard Vine

The GuardianTramp

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