Foy was reportedly paid $40,000 (£28,000) per episode for the first two series. Smith’s salary has not yet been disclosed.

Of course, Foy is not the first to be paid less than her male co-star – and we doubt, sadly, that she will be the last. In 2017, it was revealed that only a third of the BBC’s top earners are women – and that its highest-paid male star, Chris Evans, earned a whopping £2.2 million last year.

In comparison, the highest-paid woman, Claudia Winkleman, made £450,000.

It is also worth noting that this disparity does not solely affect those on screen: in the UK alone, the gender pay gap is currently at 18.1% – the lowest on record.

You can read more about The Crown’s pay scandal here – or, if you’d like to learn more about the gender pay gap as a whole, you can find all of our commentary on the issue here.

Image: Getty

Miranda Hart tweets fury over Claire Foy pay scandal