Princess Diana To Be Depicted As ‘Desperate And Lonely’ In The Crown Season Four

Prince Philip actually only became a Prince of the United Kingdom in 1957, when it was announced that he'd be known as His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Matt Smith's Philip becomes more of a central focus for The Crown's second season, which explores the Duke's place in the royal family while hinting at his rumoured infidelity.

*The Crown *marks the second time that Claire Foy has played a Queen: she previously starred as Anne Boleyn in the BBC's adaptation of Wolf Hall.

Season two sees Elizabeth more established in her role as Queen, but having to contend with a tumultuous political climate and tensions in her marriage.

Prior to playing Princess Margaret, Vanessa balanced stage work with credits in film and TV productions like Great Expectations, *About Time *and Me Before You. She'll next be seen opposite Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible 6.

Widely perceived as the Queen's 'wilder' sister, Margaret associated with a more bohemian circle in the 60s and 70s.

Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was widely considered among the most popular members of the royal family, and was active in public life even as she turned 100.

Fan of Doctor Foster? Victoria Hamilton's turn as Gemma's neighbour Anna was certainly a contrast to her royal role as the Queen Mum.

The son of actor Richard (aka Dumbledore from The Philosopher's Stone), Jared Harris' screen credits include *Mad Men, Sherlock Holmes *and Lincoln.

Known as Bertie to his family, George VI never expected to become King. Upon the abdication of his older brother, however, the throne was his.

Matthew Goode is something of a period drama mainstay, having previously appeared in the likes of *Downton Abbey, Brideshead Revisited *and The Imitation Game.

Antony Armstrong-Jones had a notoriously tempestuous relationship with Princess Margaret, but even after their 1978 divorce, he continued as the royal family's photographer of choice.

South African actress Jodi Balfour most recently starred as DI Elaine Shephard in the BBC's police procedural Rellik; prior to that, her biggest role was in Canadian TV drama Bomb Girls .

American actor Michael C. Hall is best known for his roles as the serial killer of the title in *Dexter *and as a mortician in *Six Feet Under. *

Alex Jennings is another *Crown *star to have previously played a different member of the royal family on screen: he starred as Prince Charles opposite Helen Mirren in The Queen.

Alongside her TV roles, actress Lia Williams has starred in a number of plays, directed short films and runs a production company with her husband.

Ben Miles has previously appeared in shows like Cold Feet, *Coupling *and the BBC's Shakespeare adaptation, *The Hollow Crown. *

*The Crown *marks the second screen incarnation of former First Lady Jackie Kennedy of 2017: Natalie Portman earned an Oscar nod for unconventional biopic Jackie earlier this year.

Upon her third marriage, American socialite Wallis Simpson became the Duchess of Windsor, though she was never truly accepted by the royal family.

Britain was gripped by scandal - not to mention a constitutional crisis - when King Edward VIII proposed to Wallis Simpson, an American divorcée who was still technically married to her second husband.

A royal equerry from 1944 to 1953, Peter Townsend's romance with Princess Margaret caused a scandal due to his being recently divorced from his wife.

John F. Kennedy made just one state visit to Buckingham Palace during his presidency, which took place in the summer of 1961. The real life events form the subject of 'Dear Mrs President' in *The Crown's *second season.

Before Charles and Anne headed off to boarding school, they were educated by a governess at Buckingham Palace.

Billy has previous appeared in Channel 4's Humans, while Lyla played a younger version of Romola Garai's title character in a recent adaptation of Emma.

Philip's Uncle was born Prince Louis of Battenberg, a title which was dropped in anticipation of anti-German sentiment ahead of WWI. A descendent of Queen Victoria, he was also Elizabeth's second cousin once removed.

You'll probably know Greg Wise for his role as the dashing but caddish Willoughby in the 1995 screen version of *Sense and Sensibility *(in which he starred opposite future wife Emma Thompson).