'The Crown' shares first look at Imelda Staunton as the Queen
The Crown has shared the first image of Imelda Staunton as the Queen in the show's fifth series.
In an image posted to show's official social media channels, the actor wears a grey wig, smart yellow blouse and pearls in character as Queen Elizabeth II.
The caption read: "An early glimpse of our new Queen Elizabeth II, Imelda Staunton."
Staunton will star as the monarch for seasons five and six of the Netflix drama, which have already been confirmed as the show's final instalments.
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The role was previously played by Claire Foy in the first two seasons before Olivia Colman took over for seasons three and four.
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The series has followed a fictionalised version of the Queen's life, first beginning with her marriage to Prince Philip in the 1947.
So far it has covered key events during her reign such as the Suez Crisis, sister Princess Margaret's relationship with Peter Townsend, and her son Prince Charles' marriage to Princess Diana.
The penultimate series is expected to head further into the 1990s, covering events such as the fire at Windsor Castle and Diana's shocking Panorama interview.
Other new cast members include Lesley Maville as Princess Margaret, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip with Elizabeth Debicki set to take on Princess Diana.
Meanwhile, Dominic West has been cast as Prince Charles and Jonny Lee Miller has been announced for the role of prime minister John Major.
Staunton shared in an interview with BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour earlier this year that she has an "extra challenge" in playing the Queen as the events of the show get closer to present day.
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“I think my sort of extra challenge, as if I needed it, is that I’m now doing the Queen that we’re a little more familiar with," she said.
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"With Claire Foy, it was almost history and now I’m playing one that people could say ‘she doesn’t do that,’ ‘she’s not like that,’ and that’s my personal bête noire.”
