Claire Foy rules the The Crown premiere red carpet as she talks shaking 'preconceptions’ of the Royal family

Foy said she struggled to approach the Royal family as human beings
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Emma Powell|Jennifer Ruby2 November 2016
The Weekender

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Claire Foy ruled the red carpet alongside Matt Smith at the premiere of Netflix’s hotly anticipated new series, The Crown.

Foy and Smith – who play Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in the royal drama – were guarded by soldiers as they arrived for the event in London’s Leicester Square.

The duo put on an affectionate display as they posed for the cameras and gave a few royal waves to waiting fans.

Foy spoke about taking on Her Majesty in the new series at a press conference ahead of Tuesday night’s premiere.

Co-stars: Claire Foy and Matt Smith cosy up on the red carpet 
Dave Benett

The Wolf Hall actress said she had to shake off any preconceptions she had about the Royal family in a bid to approach them as human beings.

“Obviously I began with the script and then you sort of have to forget everything that you know or all the pre-conceptions that you have,” she said.

“I don’t think you can approach it as someone who’s grown up with that family, as we all have.

Royal pose: Vanessa Kirby looked elegant in a mint green gown
Dave Benett

“I don’t know whether it’s fortunate or not but at the time, what was portrayed of them was what the palace was putting out there so any broadcast that they were doing was very engineered and very practised.

“It’s important to get that right but then you also have to bleed that into their personal life in a way that’s not contrived or performed because they weren’t performing and that’s the point of the story.”

The 10-part series follows the a young Elizabeth as she juggles the transition from Princess to Queen as well as her marriage to Phillip – who struggles to find his place alongside the monarch.

Lady in red: Gillian Anderson joined the cast for the big event
PA

Speaking about the Queen's Coronation she said she imagined her feeling "at one with God".

She said: "I’d worn it in several scenes before [the Coronation]. In that moment, I felt very ‘at one with God’. Not me, but I suddenly went ‘oh I see’. She’s changed at the point, she’s no longer just a woman, she’s sort of, I hate to say it, ‘God’s chosen person on Earth’ – that’s what she thinks anyway.

"So it changes her, but for me, it wasn’t like I suddenly realised I should be wearing a crown in real life."

Vanessa Kirby, who plays Foy’s onscreen sister Princess Margaret, was also at the premiere as well as Dame Eileen Atkins who plays the late Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

Written by Peter Morgan and directed by Stephen Daldry and Benjamin Caron, The Crown will be the most expensive drama made by Netflix with a reported budget of £100million.

The Crown starts on Netflix on Friday.

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