Olivia Colman is once again a dead ringer for Queen Elizabeth II in the first trailer for series four of The Crown.
The Oscar winner, 46, dons the Guards’ Regiment uniform to ride horseback for the preview, for what appears to be a recreation of the annual Trooping of the Colour ceremony.
Series four – which will be released on Sunday, November 15th – will also see the introduction of Princess Diana, played by Emma Corrin, and will recreate her early romance, and later wedding, to Prince Charles.
Trouble ahead: Olivia Colman is once again a dead ringer for Queen Elizabeth II in the first trailer for series four of The Crown (left in the trailer and right in 1979)
In the first seconds of the preview, Olivia can be seen dressed in the regal attire which the Queen traditionally wore as Colonel-in-Chief for each and every Trooping of the Colour until 1986.
Once again she is the spitting image of Her Majesty in the late 1970s, which is when series four of The Crown will begin, as she emerges from Buckingham Palace for the annual ceremony.
The Trooping of the Colour was an annual ceremony performed by the regiments of the British and Commonwealth armies to celebrate the Queen’s official birthday, and typically sees the Royal Family in attendance.
Legendary: The Trooping of the Colour is an annual ceremony to mark the Queen’s official birthday. She attended on horseback every year until 1986 (pictured in 1980)
This year, the ceremony was substantially scaled back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Queen simply watching a mini-version from Windsor Castle.
In the trailer, Olivia also offers an eery voiceover, saying: ‘Something as important as monarchy simply cannot be allowed to fail.’
The trailer hints there could be dark times ahead for the monarchy as behind closed doors they are growing increasingly divided.
Following the Queen’s introduction, the trailer cuts to a glimpse of Gillian Anderson as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, with the series set to begin at the start of her rise to power.
It’s here! The trailer also gave fans their first glimpse of Emma Corrin as Princess Diana in her iconic wedding gown (left in the trailer and right in 1981)
Divisive: The trailer shows Gillian Anderson as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, with the fourth series set to begin in the late 1970s
Controversial: The X Files star Gillian (pictured left in filming) will play the divisive politician (right in 1995) who governed the UK throughout the 1980s
Iconic: The trailer also shows Emma taking on the role of Lady Diana Spencer, and her entry into the monarchy
Challenging: It seems Diana will struggled to adjust to life in the monarchy, despite the ‘fairytale’ perception the nation has of her relationship with Charles
Beautiful: Emma’s casting was announced in April 2019, with creator Peter Morgan calling her ‘a brilliant talent who immediately captivated us when she came in for the part’ (Emma pictured left during filming and Diana pictured right in 1982)
But a majority of the trailer focuses on Emma Corrin’s depiction of Lady Diana Spencer, who would eventually become Princess Of Wales, one of the most iconic figures in Royal History.
The fourth series will document her blossoming romance with Prince Charles, as the trailer features the moment she emerges to greet an army of photographers, along with crowds cheering her name as she travels the world on behalf of the monarchy.
This includes Diana’s 1983 tour of Australia, when she famously donned a beautiful fuchsia pink dress.
The preview ends with a glimpse of Diana’s iconic David Emmanuel wedding dress, which will take centre stage as The Crown recreates her historic 1981 wedding.
The Crown Series Four will begin as the 1970s are drawing to a close, with the Royal Family preoccupied with safeguarding the line of succession by securing an appropriate bride for Prince Charles who is still unmarried at 30.
Beloved: Diana’s iconic pink dress worn for her 1983 tour of Australia also appears in the trailer, as she is greeted by thousands of admirers
Stunning: Emma was previously seen filming Diana and Charles’ Australian tour in October 2019 (left), where she donned the famous pink dress and fascinator (right)
Worried: The fourth series will see the Royal Family grow increasingly divided behind closed doors
The British nation is struggling with the impact of the divisive policies introduced by Britain’s first female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Tensions between the Prime Minister and the Queen are expected to only get worse as Thatcher leads the country into the Falklands War, generating conflict within the Commonwealth.
A silver lining comes in the form of Charles’ fairytale romance with young Lady Diana, but behind closed doors, the Royal family is becoming increasingly divided.
Award-winning: Oscar-winner Olivia (L) is playing Queen Elizabeth II (pictured right in 1964) in series three and four of The Crown
Legendary: Helena Bonham Carter will once again portray Princess Margaret in the fourth series, depicting her life after divorcing Lord Anthony Armstrong-Jones (Helena left and Margaret right in 1987)
Royal man: Tobias Menzies will once again play The Duke Of Edinburgh Prince Phillip (left) at a time when the Royal Family grows increasingly divided behind closed doors (Phillip pictured right in 1986)
To be wed: Josh O’Connor will depict Prince Charles (left), as the series depicts his turbulent marriage to Diana (Charles pictured right in 1984)
Diana married Charles in 1981, and the couple welcomed sons William in 1982 and Harry in 1984. After separating in 1991, the couple divorced in 1996, with Diana then tragically killed in a car accident on 31st August 1997.
Emma’s casting was announced in April 2019, with The Crown’s creator Peter Morgan calling her ‘a brilliant talent who immediately captivated us when she came in for the part of Diana Spencer.’
Helena Bonham Carter will once again appear as Princess Margaret, while Tobias Menzies will play Prince Phillip.
Josh O’Connor will reprise his role as Prince Charles, expected to take centre stage this series due to his relationship with Diana.
The series will also feature the ongoing issue of apartheid in South Africa, as well as the assassination of Lord Mountbatten (Charles Dance), and the miners’ strike of 1984-85.
Coronation: Claire Foy (L) played a young Queen Elizabeth II (pictured right in 1955) as she ascended the throne following her late father’s death during seasons one and two
Royal role: It comes just days after it was announced that The Night Manager star Elizabeth Debicki has been cast as Princess Diana for The Crown’s final two series
Despite concerns that the series would be delayed due to the COVID-19 crisis, which brought much of the television industry to a halt, it seems the fourth season will be released as planned.
Bosses revealed back in March that filming was wrapped earlier than planned, though a majority of principle photography had already been completed.
It comes just days after it was announced that The Night Manager star Elizabeth Debicki has been cast as Princess Diana for The Crown’s final two series, while Jonathan Pryce was announced to be taking over the role of Prince Philip.
It was revealed on Wednesday that the actor, 73, will join the star-studded cast of the hit Netflix show and portray the royal through the 1990s and 2000s.
Speaking after the announcement, Jonathan added that it will be ‘a joy’ to act alongside Imelda Staunton as the Queen and Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret.
Royally good: Imelda Staunton is to play the Queen in The Crown’s final two series. The 63-year-old will take over the role of Elizabeth II for seasons five and six of the Netflix drama
Congrats! Lesley Manville has been cast as Princess Margaret (right in 1966) for the fifth and sixth seasons of The Crown
From Pope to Prince: The Two Popes actor Jonathan Pryce has also been cast as Duke Of Edinburgh Prince Phillip (right earlier this year), and has said he is ‘confident’ to take on the ‘daunting’ role
In The Crown’s first two series Claire Foy took on the role of Queen Elizabeth, while Prince Philip was played by Matt Smith, and Princess Margaret by Vanessa Kirby.
Earlier this month, it was announced The Crown will run for six series instead of five.
Creator Peter revealed he decided to ‘return to the original plan,’ meaning Imelda Staunton will now appear for two series as an older Queen Elizabeth II.
Producers decided to a U-turn after their January announcement The Crown would end after its fifth series.
Peter said: ‘As we started to discuss the storylines for Series 5, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons.’
The Crown Series Four will be released on Netflix on Sunday, November 15th.