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Helena Bonham Carter reveals she and Princess Margaret are surprisingly similar: find out why

Helena Bonham Carter opened up about what she and Princess Margaret have in common

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Emmy Griffiths
TV & Film Editor
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Helena Bonham Carter is due to take over from Vanessa Kirby to play Princess Margaret in season three of The Crown, and has revealed there is a surprising similarity between herself and the iconic Princess. Chatting to HELLO! at the London premiere for Ocean's 8, the Harry Potter actress candidly said: "We both don't pretend. She was someone who didn't feign, she was utterly honest and if she felt something she would say it."

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Helena opened up about the similarities between herself and Princess Margaret

She continued: "I can often have no filter which often gets me into trouble. But there's a lot which isn't similar which is hard!" She added that she is also a similar stature to the Princess, joking: "We're short when we're not wearing heels!" The Oscar-nominated star has previously opened up about playing the Princess, who was known for her lively personality and troubled relationships, telling Variety: "I've definitely started prepping. It's exciting. We start in a few weeks, and I think we're all - we're completely terrified."

READ: Everything you need to know about Princess Margaret's first love, Peter Townsend

She added: ''We don't actually look like our real people either. I don't look like Margaret. I don't think Olivia [Coleman] looks particularly like the Queen, but it's interesting. We just have to try and create some sort of essence." She added: ''The good thing is that all the characters are so multifaceted, so we will probably capture different bits.'' Speaking about taking over from Vanessa, who won a BAFTA for her portrayal of Margaret, Helena said: "I'm not sure which I'm more terrified about - doing justice to the real Princess Margaret or following in the shoes of Vanessa Kirby's Princess Margaret. The only thing I can guarantee is that I'll be shorter (than Vanessa)." Olivia has also spoken about taking over Claire Foy's role as the Queen, telling the Radio Times: "I have remained ridiculously excited since [she found out she had got the part]. I'm trying to be cool."

READ: How much of the Crown season two actually happened?