ALISON BOSHOFF: How Vanessa Kirby pipped rising star Andrea Riseborough to Princess Margaret role in The Crown

As The Crown comes to an end, following the final release of its sixth series on Netflix this week, writer Peter Morgan has been looking back at the genesis of the mega-hit drama.

He has previously talked about almost overlooking Claire Foy, who played the young Queen, even though she auditioned multiple times. 

And now he says that Vanessa Kirby almost lost out on the role of Princess Margaret, too.

‘Everybody was leaning towards another actress that they felt was a significant get. And I wasn’t 100 per cent sure about that person,’ he revealed.

But who was the ‘significant get’ who got pipped to the role by Kirby? 

The Crown writer Peter Morgan has been looking back at the genesis of the mega-hit drama and revealed Vanessa Kirby almost lost out on the role of Princess Margaret in the first season

Sources indicate that it was Andrea Riseborough, who at the time was riding high after playing Wallis Simpson in Madonna’s movie W.E, who nearly scooped the role 

Sources indicate that it was Andrea Riseborough, who at the time was riding high after playing Wallis Simpson in Madonna’s movie W.E.

Losing out did her no harm — she has since starred in films including Nocturnal Animals and To Leslie, for which she was Oscar nominated. 

Her upcoming projects include two roles alongside Kate Winslet: the film Lee about Lee Miller and TV drama The Palace.

Kirby, meanwhile, has gone on to appear in the Mission Impossible films and also star opposite Joaquin Phoenix in Ridley Scott’s Napoleon. 

She told an interviewer this year that Princess Margaret was the favourite role of her career, saying: ‘She’s so much cooler than me, and that was really fun. 

‘To play someone who was so Technicolor, so potent.’

Series six part two of The Crown arrived on on Netflix on Thursday, December 14, bringing the show about the British royal family to a close. 

The episodes explore William and Harry’s grief in the wake of Diana’s death, the final years of Princess Margaret’s life, as well as William and Kate’s first throes of romance while attending St Andrews University. 

Losing out did Riseborough no harm — she has since starred in films including Nocturnal Animals and To Leslie (pictured) for which she was Oscar nominated

Kirby has gone on to appear in the Mission Impossible films and also star opposite Joaquin Phoenix (pictured) in Ridley Scott’s Napoleon

But the series has proved controversial for its very intimate portrayal of recent events, including scenes about members of the royal family who are still alive. 

The Crown has also come under fire for blurring fact and fiction in its portrayal of historical scenes. 

Meanwhile, Meg Bellamy, 21, who plays a young Kate Middleton, admitted that she ‘didn’t remember the real life events’ that are being depicted in the final season as the trio revealed how that impacted their performances. 

Part two brings the key moment at university in the blossoming relationship between the now-Prince and Princess of Wales onto our screens. 

Meg explained: ‘We were babies we don’t really remember anything from the actual real life events of this series.’

‘I think that is helpful because we were able to just look at it as a character on the page,’ Ed added. 

Series six part two of The Crown arrived on on Netflix on Thursday , December 14, bringing the show about the British royal family to a close (pictured: Imelda Staunton as the Queen) 

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