Bringing the British royal family to the screen was no small challenge, but The Crown’s cast and costume team repeatedly came remarkably close to recreating the real people and moments from royal history. From carefully matched outfits and hairstyles to eerily similar poses and expressions, these side by side photos show just how much attention went into capturing the royals on screen.
1. Season 4 (1981)
Naturally, Diana’s blue engagement attire, from the printed bow blouse to the patent leather clutch, was essential to The Crown’s portrayal of the ‘whatever love means’ scene. We wonder if, like the Princess in 1981, they purchased it from the Harrods department store.
2. Season 4 (1981)
When Diana bonded with Prince Charles on the show, she was dressed in a flowered button-down and pale yellow dungarees. She wore a very similar outfit in real life, although it was after she and Charles had already started dating.
3. Season 4 (1981)
The ‘Balmoral sweater’ so named because Princess Diana was pictured wearing it with Prince Charles, her then-fiance, on the grounds of the Scottish estate, was a bright fair isle sweater worn over a white turtleneck. Well, it should come as no surprise that the show’s fourth season resurrected the classic pink sweater.
4. Season 4 (1980)
Diana had a very clear sense of style when she was initially thrust into the spotlight. The monarch adored high collars and cardigans. They reproduced a costume worn by Lady Diana Spencer before she was engaged to the Prince of Wales perfectly, even down to the little black ribbon around her neck.
5. Season 4 (1979)
Season 4 delves further into Margaret Thatcher’s tenure as prime minister. Among the season’s most significant moments are when, in her famous cabinet portrait, Thatcher donned a burgundy suit.
6. Season 3 (1975)
The Crown’ had to show Prince Charles playing polo because of his well-known passion for the game. His outfit was faithfully portrayed in the drama, down to the Prince’s jersey number.
7. Season 3 (1972)
The Duke of Windsor had a complex relationship with the royal family, yet he was buried on the Windsor Estate grounds when he died in 1972. Both in season 3 and in real life, Queen Elizabeth attended the funeral wearing a simple black coat dress, a fascinator, and a diamond ribbon brooch.
8. Season 3 (1969)
Queen Elizabeth’s attire at Prince Charles’s investiture will always be remembered. The queen wore a fascinator adorned with rhinestones and pearls in the shape of a helmet. Like the show, she accessorized the quirky topper with a pale yellow jacket.
9. Season 3 (1969)
Early in the 1970s, Princess Anne’s investiture looks and other aspects of her style caught the public’s attention. In season three, actress Erin Doherty was given a replica of the young royal’s pillbox hat, diamond brooch, and blue coat dress.
10. Season 3 (1969)
At the investiture ceremony for Prince Charles, the Queen Mother was radiant and upbeat. Actress Marion Bailey was dressed in a lime green lace outfit and fur hat that were nearly identical to the one on this show.
11. Season 3 (1969)
In 1969, Prince Charles wore traditional attire during his investiture as Prince of Wales in Caernarvon, Wales. In season three, his crown and fur shawl were meticulously re-created.
12. Season 3 (1966)
The terrible catastrophe in Aberfan in 1966 sent the king into a crisis. Both on the show and in real life, Queen Elizabeth donned a burnt orange coat dress with a mink cap and mink fur trimmings when she visited the town.
13. Season 2 (1962)
Jackie Kennedy is invited to dine at Windsor Castle by the Queen in season two. The First Lady’s gray suit ensemble and pillbox cap for the performance appeared to have been modeled from an actual Jackie dress she wore when she went to lunch with the Queen in 1962.
14. Season 2 (1961)
During her royal tour, Queen Elizabeth danced with Ghana’s President Kwame Nkrumah while wearing a two-toned cloak and a sleeveless satin ball gown. With the exception of the purse she carried during her real-life dance, the production faithfully replicated the ensemble.
15. Season 2 (1961)
Queen Elizabeth’s 1961 royal visit to Ghana was highlighted in Season 2. For the king, the trip was crucial because it was meant to reinforce ties with the Commonwealth country. For the historical scenario, the show stayed true to Queen Elizabeth’s scalloped lace sheath dress.
16. Season 2 (1961)
Jackie Kennedy’s fashion selections embodied a great deal of her appeal, therefore the design of her gown for her season 2 presentation was disappointing. The presentation chose to depart from the First Lady’s 1961 sleeveless taffeta column gown, but it retained the same style and long white gloves.
17. Season 2 (1961)
The Kennedys received a sumptuous reception from the royal family when they visited Buckingham Palace in 1961. The show almost exactly replicated the Queen’s blue ruffled chiffon ball gown with velvet accents and sapphire and diamond jewelry.
18. Season 2 (1960)
The Queen Mother wore a quite different outfit on her wedding day. In actual life, the bride’s mother donned an off-white beaded gown with a white fur jacket and hat, while actress Victoria Hamilton wore a brocade jacket with mink fur trimmings and a matching fur cap.
19. Season 2 (1960)
This is an almost exact replica of Queen Elizabeth’s gown during the lead-up to Princess Margaret’s wedding. The queen’s cerulean belted dress, with its taffeta long skirt and lace bodice, is only glimpsed in passing.
20. Season 2 (1960)
The bridal gown designed by Norman Hartwell for Princess Margaret was nearly exactly replicated. In a 2019 interview, costume designer Jane Petrie said that the outfit was hurriedly produced in a week without even a fitting.
21. Season 2 (1959)
In this season, fans witness Princess Margaret wearing an off-the-shoulder tulle ball gown adorned with sequin butterflies as she poses for renowned photographer Cecil Beaton. It’s amazing how well the outfit was recreated. But contrary to what the show’s history indicates, the picture was taken in 1944, not 1959.
22. Season 1 (1958)
There were many distinctions between the Queen’s and the show’s royal picture gowns, despite the fact that both were exquisite and majestic. Both were embellished with medals and the monarch’s ribbon, but Queen Elizabeth’s satin-embroidered gown was considerably softer than the show’s lace version.
23. Season 2 (1957)
The Queen’s gold lamé tea dress was imitated by ‘The Crown’ for an instant as momentous as her first Christmas speech shown on television. The same dress even had a knotted bodice and cap sleeves, much like the original.
24. Season 1 (1954)
There are some very spectacular moments of royal glitz in this show. Claire Foy’s glistening gown and fur stole from season 1 are evocative of Queen Elizabeth’s 1954 premiere attire.
25. Season 1 (1953)
The show stayed faithful to reality for Prince Philip’s coronation garment. The director used the same viewpoint as the real-life footage, and Matt Smith wore a robe with fur trim and thick crimson velvet.
26. Season 1 (1953)
When it came to Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, ‘The Crown’ followed custom. Costume designer Michele Clapton told Vanity Fair, “It was just a huge task, and we created all the dresses, the robes, and the anointment gown. We had a workroom with five or six people creating the principals’ costumes, and then various work rooms creating elements for the other dresses, embroidered pieces, just endless pieces.”
27. Season 1 (1952)
Princess Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, and their mother were spotted wearing thin black veils and black long-sleeved, mid-length dresses during King George’s time of mourning.
28. Season 1 (1952)
Princess Elizabeth was on a royal tour when her father, the King, passed away unexpectedly. From her pearl necklace to the diamond floral broach on her lapel, the show accurately captures the heartbreaking scenario of her return.
29. Season 1 (1952)
For the young royal, Queen Elizabeth’s solo tour of Kenya was a significant turning point. Elizabeth arrived in Nairobi wearing a brown dress with a peplum waist and polka dots. The entire ensemble, including the white purse she wore, was replicated in the show.
30. Season 1 (1947)
Princess Elizabeth’s wedding gown wasn’t exactly the same. On the show, her ivory satin gown featured significantly altered embroidery, and encrusted pearls, sequins, and diamonds were used in place of the lace-trimmed neckline and it took seven weeks to produce and cost roughly $37,000.
