Who plays Queen Elizabeth II in the first two seasons of The Crown?

Claire Foy plays Queen Elizabeth II in the first two seasons of The Crown.

Foy portrays Elizabeth as she becomes monarch after the death of her father, King George VI, in 1952. The first two seasons follow her early reign, including the pressures of constitutional duty, her marriage to Prince Philip, and her relationships with Prime Ministers such as Winston Churchill and Anthony Eden.

The Crown used a planned recasting system because its story spans several decades. The principal actors playing the royal family changed every two seasons so the characters could age with the timeline. Foy therefore played the young queen in seasons one and two, while Olivia Colman portrayed Elizabeth in seasons three and four, and Imelda Staunton played her in seasons five and six.

Foy’s performance earned major recognition, including a Golden Globe and a Primetime Emmy Award. Vanessa Kirby, one of the options, played Princess Margaret rather than Elizabeth. The distinction is a common source of confusion because Margaret is Elizabeth’s younger sister and one of the series’ central characters.