After Foy’s salary was made public - Foy was reportedly paid $40,000 (£29,000) per episode for the first two series - the producers of The Crown issued an apology to both her and her male co-star over the pay disparity.

“We want to apologise to both Claire Foy and to Matt Smith, brilliant actors and friends, who have found themselves at the centre of a media storm this week through no fault of their own,” said a spokesperson for Left Bank Pictures.

“Claire and Matt are incredibly gifted actors who, along with the wider cast on The Crown have worked tirelessly to bring our characters to life with compassion and integrity.

“As the producers of The Crown, we at Left Bank Pictures are responsible for budgets and salaries; the actors are not aware of who gets what, and cannot be held personally responsible for the pay of their colleagues.”

And earlier this week, her co-star, Matt Smith, broke his silence on the issue for the first time.

“Claire is one of my best friends, and I believe that we should be paid equally and fairly and there should be equality for all,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.

“I support her completely, and I’m pleased that it was resolved and they made amends for it because that what’s needed to happen.”

Smith added: “Going forward, I think we should all bear in mind that we need to strive to make this better and a more even playing field for everyone involved – but not just in our industry, in all industries.”

It is unclear what Smith’s remark of “made amends” means, as Netflix has released a statement on the issue.

The Crown is one of the most expensive television series ever produced, costing about $130 million (£93 million) for the first season alone.

You can read more on the gender pay gap here.

Images: Netflix

Claire Foy admits The Crown’s gender pay gap issue “opened her eyes”