The Crown season 5 star Imelda Staunton was overwhelmed with grief after the news broke that the Queen had died.
Queen Elizabeth II died aged 96 on September 8, with the nation going into a period of mourning for two weeks before she was laid to rest in a state funeral.
Staunton, who takes over from Olivia Coleman as the late sovereign on the Netflix period drama, had been on set when the announcement was made, however wasn’t aware of the news until she returned home.
‘I’m afraid that night I was inconsolable,’ she recalls. ‘I was very glad I wasn’t due to be working the next day. They couldn’t have filmed on this face.’
Staunton had a pre-scheduled two-week break from filming and returned to The Crown one day after the funeral.