As of Wednesday morning, The Crown is officially back on our screens – and we could not be happier. One of the biggest challenges facing The Crown team is getting the show’s actors to look like the people they are portraying – and hair plays a big part in that.
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Many of the historical figures featured are renowned for their famous tresses – whether it’s Jackie Kennedy’s enormous blow-dry, the Queen Mother’s crimp or Princess Margaret’s big bouffant. Get it wrong and the illusion vanishes.
So how close did The Crown hair team get? We take a look...
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Princess Diana's ashy blonde crop
© Photo: NetflixEmma Corrin nailed Diana's hairstyle thanks to the use of wigs
Described by The Crown's hair and make-up designer Cate Hall as "the haircut that inspired a generation of haircuts", the fourth series of the hit Netflix show finally introduces viewers to Princess Diana and her eighties 'do. Played by newcomer Emma Corrin, Diana's trademark pageboy haircut was actually recreated using wigs with the "right tone of highlights". We think it's spot on.
In series five, we see Elizabeth Debicki nail Princess Diana's 'do with her silky blonde coif – they look so similar!
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrincess Diana's trademark 'do
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Princess Margaret's bouffant
© Photo: NetflixHelena Bonham Carter emulated Princess Margaret's big hair
The 60s and 70s were the heydays of big hair – the higher the better – but The Crown’s hairstylists added a few extra inches to Helena Bonham Carter’s up ‘do in this dancing scene, just for dramatic effect.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrincess Margaret
Jackie Kennedy’s sky-high blow-dry
© Photo: NetflixJodi Balfour was the image of Jackie Kennedy
Talking of high hair, Jackie Kennedy’s voluminous blow-dry might have looked like it was exaggerated for TV but, if you check out the former First Lady’s hair in real life, it was actually 100 percent historically accurate.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe former First Lady
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The Queen’s early hair
© Photo: NetflixClaire Foy sported very similar hair to The Queen
As a young woman, the Queen wore her hair longer – around shoulder length – and very, very curly. The show’s hairdressers took notes.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThis is a great hairstyle
The Queen Mother’s crimp
© Photo: NetflixVictoria Hamilton's 'do had a slight difference to The Queen Mother's
The Queen Mother always kept her hair very close to her head in a neat, tight crimp. The Crown’s hair team recreated the look but used a little artistic license with actress Victoria Hamilton’s tresses, giving her a side parting instead of a middle one.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Queen Mother
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Wallis Simpson’s up ‘do
© Photo: NetflixLia Williams looks so like Wallis Simpson
Wallis Simpson had a very distinctive hairstyle: she’d wear her hair high on her head but parted in the middle into two sets of curls. And The Crown got it spot-on.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Crown nailed Wallis Simpson's hairdo
Prince Philip’s slicked-back hair
© Photo: NetflixMatt Smith played a young Prince Philip
The young Duke of Edinburgh wore his hair glossy and slicked back – and Matt Smith had his styled similarly. That said, the actor has a slightly fuller head of hair than Prince Philip at the same age.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh
The Queen’s gentle waves
© Photo: NetflixClaire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth’s locks have a slight curl which The Crown emphasised by clipping back Claire Foy’s hair and adding a side parting.
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Prince Charles’s side parting and Princess Anne’s bob
© Photo: NetflixSeason 2 of The Crown gave us a glimpse at a young Prince Charles and Princess Anne
The second series of The Crown gave us a glimpse of Prince Charles and Princess Anne as children. Charles had his trademark side parting and straight chestnut hair – very similar to his hair in real life. Princess Anne, on the other hand, was portrayed with a poker-straight, clipped back bob, a contrast to the full head of blonde curls she exhibited as a child.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Queen Mother with a young Prince Charles and Princess Anne
The Queen’s perm
© Photo: NetflixOlivia Colman took over the role of The Queen in season three
During the 70s, which are portrayed in the third series of The Crown, the Queen, played by Olivia Colman, opted for a permanent solution to tame her naturally wavy hair: a perm.
MORE: Did these moments in The Crown season four really happen? Find out here
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Queen
Princess Margaret's tiara dos
© Photo: NetflixVanessa Kirby's hair was fixed with Princess Margaret's go-to accessory
Princess Margaret regularly set off her chocolate brown hair with a sparkling tiara. And actress Vanessa Kirby’s tresses were fixed in a similar fashion, although a few additional tendrils were left loose to emphasise Margaret’s often-wild behaviour.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrincess Margaret often wore a tiara in her hair
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