The Crown is a fictional Netflix drama series that traces the lives of the British Royal family from the marriage of Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip in 1947, to the beginning of the 21st century. Although based on actual events, other aspects of the show are fictional. Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022 there were renewed calls for a disclaimer to be added to the series. Netflix confirmed this would be done from Season 5.
The relationships between the characters in the show can be difficult to fathom, so we have compiled a ‘Who is in the Crown?’ guide to help identify who is who.
Listed below the video are the main characters in the show grouped by Royal Family, Government Ministers and others. Under each we have included the seasons they appear in, the actor(s) that play them and their relationship within or to the Royal Family. We have also included links to timelines on this site for further information.
Who is in The Crown? – Members of the Royal Family
Queen Elizabeth II (seasons 1 – 5)
1926 – 2022
Played by
Claire Foy (seasons 1 – 2), Olivia Coleman (seasons 3 – 4), Imelda Staunton (seasons 5 – 6)
Parents
King George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (the Queen Mother)
Sibling
Princess Margaret
Husband
Prince Philip (m. 1947)
Children
Prince Charles (b. 1948); Princess Anne (b. 1950); Prince Andrew (b. 1960); Prince Edward (b. 1964)
–ooOoo–
Prince Philip (seasons 1 – 5)
1921 – 2021
Played by
Matt Smith (seasons 1 – 2), Tobias Menzies (seasons 3 – 4), Jonathan Pryce (seasons 5 – 6)
Parents
Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice
Sibling
Princess Margaret
Wife
Queen Elizabeth II (m. 1947)
Children
Prince Charles (b. 1948); Princess Anne (b. 1950); Prince Andrew (b. 1960); Prince Edward (b. 1964)
–ooOoo–
Queen Mary (seasons 1)
1867 – 1953
Played by
Eileen Atkiins
Parents
Francis Duke of Teck and Princess Mary Adelaide (granddaughter of King George III)
Husband
King George V (m. 1893)
Children
Edward Duke of Windsor, King George VI, Princess Mary, Prince Henry, Prince George
–ooOoo–
King George VI (seasons 1 – 2)
1895 – 1952
Played by
Jared Harris (seasons 1 – 2)
Parents
King George V and Queen Mary
Wife
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, Queen Elizabeth (m. 1923)
Children
Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022); Margaret (1930-2002)
–ooOoo–
Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mother (seasons 1 – 5)
1900 – 2002
Played by
Victoria Hamilton (seasons 1 – 2), Marion Bailey (seasons 3 – 4), Marcia Warren (seasons 5 – 6)
Parents
Claude Bowes-Lyon and Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck
Husband
King George VI (m. 1923)
Children
Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022); Margaret (1930-2002)
–ooOoo–
Edward, Duke of Windsor (seasons 1 – 3)
1894 – 1972
Played by
Alex Jennings (seasons 1 – 2), Derek Jacobi (season 3
Parents
King George V and Queen Mary
Wife
Wallis Simpson (m. 1937 after abdicating the throne)
Children
None
Edward Duke of Windsor Timeline
–ooOoo–
Princess Margaret (seasons 1 – 5)
1930 – 2002
Played by
Vanessa Kirby (seasons 1 – 2), Helena Bonham Carter (seasons 3 – 4), Lesley Manville (seasons 5 – 6)
Parents
King George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (the Queen Mother)
Sibling
Queen Elizabeth II
Husband
Antony Armstrong-Jones (m. 1960; div. 1978)
Children
David (b. 1961); Sarah (b. 1964)
–ooOoo–
Prince Charles (seasons 3 – 5)
b. 1948
Played by
Josh O’Connor (seasons 3 – 4), Dominic West (seasons 5 – 6)
Parents
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
Siblings
Princess Anne (b. 1950), Prince Andrew (b. 1960); Prince Edward (b. 1964)
Wives
Princess Diana (m. 1981; div. 1996); Camila Parker Bowles (m. 2005)
Children by Diana
William (b. 1982); Harry (b. 1984)
–ooOoo–
Princess Diana (seasons 4 – 5)
1961 – 1997
Played by
Erin Corrin (season 4), Elizabeth Debicki (seasons 5)
Parents
John Spencer, Earl Spencer and Frances Roche
Siblings
Sarah (b. 1955), Jane (b. 1957), Charles (b. 1964)
Husband
Prince Charles (m. 1981; div. 1996)
Children
William (b. 1982); Harry (b. 1984)
–ooOoo–
Princess Anne (seasons 3 – 5)
b. 1950
Played by
Erin Doherty (seasons 3 – 4), Claudia Harrison (seasons 5 – 6)
Parents
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
Siblings
Prince Charles (b. 1948), Prince Andrew (b. 1960); Prince Edward (b. 1964)
Husbands
Mark Philips (m. 1973; div. 1992); Timothy Laurence (m. 1992)
Children by Mark Philips
Peter (b. 1977); Zara (b. 1981)
–ooOoo–
Prince Andrew (season 5)
b. 1960
Played by
James Murray
Parents
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
Siblings
Prince Charles (b. 1948), Princess Anne (b. 1950); Prince Edward (b. 1964)
Wife
Sarah Ferguson (m. 1986; div. 1996)
Children
Beatrice (b. 1988); Eugenie (b. 1990)
–ooOoo–
Prince Edward (season 5)
b. 1964
Played by
Sam Woolf
Parents
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
Siblings
Prince Charles (b. 1948), Princess Anne (b. 1950); Prince Andrew (b. 1960)
Wife
Sophie Rhys-Jones (m. 1999)
Children
Louise (b. 2003); James (b. 2017)
–ooOoo–
Prince William (season 5)
b. 1982
Played by
Senan West
Parents
Prince Charles and Princess Diana
Siblings
Harry (b. 1984)
–ooOoo–
Who is in The Crown? – Government Ministers
Listed in order of appearance
Winston Churchill (seasons 1 – 2)
1874 – 1965
Played by
John Lithgow
Ministerial Post
Prime Minister 1940 – 1945 and 1951 – 1955
–ooOoo–
Anthony Eden (seasons 1 – 2)
1926 – 2022
Played by
Jeremy Northam
Ministerial Post
Prime Minister 1955 – 1957
–ooOoo–
Harold MacMillan (seasons 2)
1894 – 1986
Played by
Anton Lesser
Ministerial Post
Prime Minister 1957 – 1963
–ooOoo–
Harold Wilson (season 3)
1916 – 1995
Played by
Jason Watkins
Ministerial Post
Prime Minister 1964 – 1970 and 1974 – 1976
–ooOoo–
Margaret Thatcher (season 4)
1925 – 2013
Played by
Gillian Anderson
Ministerial Post
Prime Minister 1979 – 1990
–ooOoo–
John Major (season 5)
b. 1943
Played by
Jonny Lee Miller
Ministerial Post
Prime Minister 1990 – 1997
–ooOoo–
Tony Blair (season 5)
b. 1953
Played by
Bertie Carvel
Ministerial Post
Prime Minister 1997 – 2007
–ooOoo–
Who is in The Crown? – Other Characters
Listed in order of appearance
Group Captain Peter Townsend (seasons 1 – 2)
1914 – 1995
Played by
Ben Miles
Relationship to Royal Family
Love interest of Princess Margaret
–ooOoo–
Louis Mountbatten (seasons 1 – 4)
1900 – 1979
Played by
Greg Wise (seasons 1 – 2), Charles Dance (seasons 3 – 4)
Relationship to Royal Family
Maternal uncle of Prince Philip; second cousin to King George VI
–ooOoo–
Wallis Simpson (seasons 1 – 3)
1896 – 1986
Played by
Lia Williams (seasons 1 – 2), Geraldine Chaplin (seasons 3 )
Relationship to Royal Family
Woman who Edward VIII abdicated the throne for. They married in 1937 and she became Duchess of Windsor
–ooOoo–
Antony Armstrong-Jones (seasons 2 – 3)
1930 – 2017
Played by
Matthew Goode (season 2), Ben Daniels (seasons 3 )
Relationship to Royal Family
Husband of Princess Margaret
–ooOoo–
Camilla Parker-Bowles (seasons 3 – 5)
b. 1947
Played by
Emerald Fennell (seasons 3 – 4); Olivia Williams (seasons 5 – 6)
Relationship to Royal Family
Love interest of Prince Charles
–ooOoo–
Sarah Ferguson (season 5)
b. 1959
Played by
Emma Laird Craig
Relationship to Royal Family
Wife of Prince Andrew
–ooOoo–
Published Oct 24, 2022 @ 6:07 pm – Updated – [last-modified]
Harvard Reference for Who is in The Crown?
Heather Y Wheeler. (2022). Who is in The Crown? https://www.thetimelinegeek.com/who-is-in-the-crown/