The third season of everyone’s favourite history lesson/posh soap opera drops on Netflix this Sunday. Olivia Colman is stepping into Claire Foy’s court shoes to play Queen Elizabeth II, with Helena Bonham-Carter taking on the role of Princess Margaret – and the 10 new episodes are as dedicated to showing the royal family warts-and-all as before.
We see the breakdown of Princess Margaret’s marriage, and learn more about Prince Philip’s fraught family history. We also meet the next generation of royals for the first time, notably headstrong Princess Anne and a struggling Prince Charles.
But season three is also more refined than its predecessors, with less sex and scandal and more of a focus on 1960s politics and the psychological pressures of royal life. It makes for a fascinating change of pace – don’t miss it. Read Hannah-Rose’s full review of The Crown series three