It’s a weird thing, isn't it? Watching a woman you’ve seen a thousand times on the news—the real one, I mean—being played by an actress who once made your blood boil as a pink-clad villain in Harry Potter. When Imelda Staunton stepped into the low-heeled shoes of Elizabeth II for the final stretch of The Crown, she wasn't just taking on a role. She was basically stepping into a live-fire zone of public scrutiny.
Claire Foy had it easy, in a way. She was playing a version of the Queen that lived in black-and-white newsreels and grainy memories. Olivia Colman had the middle years, the "Annus Horribilis" lead-up, where the Queen was still a bit of a distant figure to the younger generations. But Imelda Staunton in The Crown had to play the version we all actually knew. The one with the specific, clipped way of saying "thank you." The one with the handbag held just so.
Honestly, it’s a miracle she didn't just run for the hills.
The "Umbridge" Factor and the Weight of Recent History
Let’s address the elephant in the room: Dolores Umbridge. For a huge chunk of the audience, seeing Staunton's face immediately triggers a flight-or-fight response because of her iconic turn in the Potter films. It’s a testament to her skill that within about five minutes of Season 5, Episode 1, you’ve mostly forgotten about the Forbidden Forest.
She's tiny. That’s the first thing you notice. The real Queen was petite, and Staunton captures that "small but mighty" stature perfectly. But there’s a gloominess to her portrayal that caught people off guard. Some critics, like the Queen’s former press secretary Dickie Arbiter, weren't fans. He called her version "glum and boring."
But was she? Or was she just playing a woman who was tired?
By the time we hit the 1990s in the show, the Queen was dealing with a crumbling marriage (well, three of them), a literal fire at Windsor Castle, and a public that was starting to think the monarchy was a bit of a dusty relic. Staunton plays her with this incredible, heavy-lidded fatigue. You can see the weight of the crown in the way she sags into a sofa. It’s not "glum" for the sake of it; it’s the exhaustion of a woman who has spent forty years being "constant" while everything around her is breaking.
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Why Imelda Staunton faced a "Bête Noire" challenge
Staunton herself called this her "personal bête noire." She knew that because she was playing the contemporary Queen, everyone would be an expert on whether she got it "right." If she blinked too much or used the wrong inflection, someone on Twitter was going to lose their mind.
The physical transformation was subtle but intense:
- The Voice: It’s higher and thinner than Colman’s. Staunton supposedly listened to the Queen’s 1997 address to the nation about Diana "every moment of every day" to nail the cadence.
- The Walk: Olivia Colman famously struggled with the "regal walk," once being told she walked "like a farmer." Staunton, however, nailed the stiff-backed, purposeful stride of a woman who has walked through a thousand garden parties.
- The Gaze: There’s a stillness to her. She doesn't fidget.
The Day the World Stopped
There is a moment in television history that we don't talk about enough: Imelda Staunton was actually on the set of The Crown when the real Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022.
Think about that for a second.
She was dressed as the monarch, wig on, pearls clipped, filming a scene with Lesley Manville (who played Princess Margaret), when the news came through. Production shut down for ten days. Staunton has said she was "inconsolable." When they finally went back to work the day after the funeral, the atmosphere was, predictably, bizarre. The crew couldn't even look at her. The costume designer walked into the room and just burst into tears.
That’s a lot of pressure for an actor. You’re not just playing a character anymore; you’re a walking, talking ghost of a woman the world is currently mourning.
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Comparing the Three Queens
Fans love to argue about who did it best. It’s the royal version of debating who was the best James Bond.
Claire Foy (Seasons 1-2) gave us the vulnerability. We saw the girl who didn't want the job but did it anyway. Olivia Colman (Seasons 3-4) gave us the "settled" Queen, the one who had become a bit of a statue, sometimes to a fault.
But Imelda Staunton in The Crown gave us the reflection.
The final episodes of Season 6 are basically a long, slow goodbye. There’s a scene where she’s planning her own funeral (Operation London Bridge), and she’s confronted by the younger versions of herself—Foy and Colman both make cameos. It’s a bit trippy, but it works because Staunton plays the "anchor" version. She is the final result of all that duty.
Did The Crown get too close to the present?
This is where the show started to lose some people. As the timeline crept into the late 90s and early 2000s, the "history" felt more like "gossip." We remember these events. We remember the Bashir interview. We remember the funeral of Princess Diana.
Because the events were so fresh, Staunton’s performance had to be even more disciplined. She couldn't afford to be a caricature. In Season 5, she has to navigate the "Queen Victoria Syndrome"—the idea that she’s been on the throne too long. It’s a meta-commentary on the show itself, which some felt had overstayed its welcome.
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Yet, Staunton found these tiny pockets of humanity. The way she looks at her beloved yacht, the Britannia, as it’s being decommissioned. That wasn't just about a boat; it was about her realizing her era was ending. She plays that heartbreak through her eyes, hardly moving a muscle in her face. That’s high-level acting, period.
The Takeaway: How to watch Staunton’s performance
If you’re going back to rewatch the final seasons, stop looking for Dolores Umbridge. Stop looking for a carbon copy of the woman from the BBC news.
Instead, look for the "experiment," as Staunton calls it. Watch how she handles the scenes with Jonathan Pryce (Prince Philip). Their chemistry is different from the previous pairs; it’s a "warhorse" marriage. They are two people who have survived everything together and don't need many words to communicate.
Next Steps for Fans:
- Watch Episode 4 of Season 5 ("Annus Horribilis"): This is Staunton’s powerhouse episode. The speech at Guildhall is a masterclass in controlled emotion.
- Pay attention to the "Ritual" scenes: Watch how she handles the mundane tasks—the red boxes, the audiences with Prime Ministers. That’s where the "real" Elizabeth lived.
- Compare the "Diana" reaction: Look at how Staunton’s Queen reacts to the news of the Paris crash vs. how she reacts to the loss of her sister later. It shows the hierarchy of her grief.
Ultimately, Staunton didn't just play a Queen; she played a survivor. Whether you liked the "glum" tone or not, you can't deny she brought a gravitas to the end of the series that few other actresses could have pulled off while wearing that specific shade of mauve.
Actionable Insight: To truly appreciate the nuance of the performance, watch the "Annus Horribilis" speech side-by-side with the real footage from 1992. You'll notice Staunton doesn't just copy the voice; she copies the specific way the Queen's breathing changed when she was nervous. That’s the level of detail that earned her those Golden Globe and Emmy nominations.