Olivia Colman and Helena Bonham Carter, aka
Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret in
Netflix’s “The Crown,” are perched royally atop
folding chairs as they hold court in a hotel suite
serving as an interview room.
The actresses chat and laugh easily together,
a contrast to their characters’ often tense
exchanges in the drama’s third season, released
this week. Sibling rivalry and loyalty within
Britain’s House of Windsor are key elements,
involving the steady Elizabeth and her
flamboyant sister as well as Elizabeth’s two older
offspring, Charles and Anne.
Margaret,described in one episode as essentially
a leading lady forced to play a supporting role,
is upset over allowing her personal life to be
constrained by duty (last season, she bowed to
pressure to break off an engagement) without
benefit of glory.