It was a case of the fictitious crown meeting the real one, as Helena Bonham Carter, who played Princess Margaret in seasons three and four of The Crown, met the Queen Consort herself, Camilla, at Clarence House.
The pair met at a reception last night, held to mark 30 years of the Forward Arts Foundation. The organisation was founded to promote awareness and enjoyment of poetry in the UK and Ireland and occurred just as the capital was warming up for another artistic celebration: Frieze Week.
With anticipation rising ahead of The Crown’s final season, the creators have offered another scintillating glimpse of what is to come. Here we reveal the key cast and plot details you can expect when it finally lands
Bonham Carter and the Queen appeared to enjoy one another’s company immensely. The actress executed a deep curtsey before they were seen engaging in conversation and smiling broadly. The famously exuberantly attired actress was decked out in bright florals and black feathers, with pink ribbons in her hair. The Queen wore an arresting peacock feather print shirt dress.
Bonham Carter was more than just an attendee at the event, but actually performed; reading a poem by William Stafford called Yes. The Forward Arts Foundation founder William Sieghart also gave a speech, saying the work achieved by the foundation was 'something I'm amazingly proud of'. He thanked the Queen for her involvement, saying it was 'proof of the pudding' that the charity was progressing.
This is the second time the Queen has attended the Braemar Literary Festival
Guests at the intimate event at Clarence House last night included previous winners of the Forward Prizes for Poetry, including the Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, the actress Karen Bryson and Bonham Carter’s fellow The Crown cast mate, Natascha McElhone.
The Netflix juggernaut is under scrutiny once more following the recent announcement of its November and December release dates. Artwork for the final season was released this week, featuring a moody and atmospheric image of the Queen, played by Imelda Staunton, and a reimagining of the iconic photograph of Princess Diana on the diving board of a yacht in Portofino; just a week before her death.
The Crown announced that part one of the final season will feature Princess Diana’s death and the latter part, the aftermath, as well as the romance and wedding of William and Kate. Critics have responded harshly to reports that the show will include depictions of Princess Diana’s ‘ghost.’
Helena Bonham Carter herself, who passed her fictitious tiara to Leslie Manville, who depicts Princess Margaret in the final seasons and who played the Queen Mother in the 2010 film The King’s Speech, has spoken out about the show’s duty to state the separation of fact from artistic license. Speaking on the show’s official podcast in 2020, she said The Crown had a ‘moral responsibility’ to remind viewers that this is fiction inspired by fact, and not a documentary.
