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12 royal hairstyles The Crown absolutely nailed: Emma Corrin, Olivia Colman & more

The real-life locks that inspired The Crown’s stunning looks...

hair
Tania Leslau
Lifestyle Writer
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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.

MORE: 7 moments in The Crown season four that were almost certainly made up

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...

WATCH: The exciting trailer for season 4 of The Crown

Princess Diana's ashy blonde crop

emma corrin diana© Photo: Netflix

Emma 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.

diana elizabeth

In series five, we see Elizabeth Debicki nail Princess Diana's 'do with her silky blonde coif – they look so similar!

princess diana hair© Photo: Getty Images

Princess Diana's trademark 'do

MORE: Princess Diana drama: The royal family 'hurt' over The Crown - exclusive

MORE: The Crown's Emma Corrin spotted copying Princess Diana's style in the best way

Princess Margaret's bouffant

margaret bouffant hair© Photo: Netflix

Helena 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. 

real princess margaret hair© Photo: Getty Images

Princess Margaret

Jackie Kennedy’s sky-high blow-dry

jackie kennedy hair© Photo: Netflix

Jodi 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.  

jackie kennedy real life© Photo: Getty Images

The former First Lady

MORE: Zara Tindall's husband Mike gives warning about The Crown and wants THIS actor to play him

The Queen’s early hair

queen early hair© Photo: Netflix

Claire 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. 

real queen horse© Photo: Getty Images

This is a great hairstyle

The Queen Mother’s crimp

queen mother hair crimp© Photo: Netflix

Victoria 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.  

real queen mother© Photo: Getty Images

The Queen Mother

MORE: Fans are convinced they have spotted Kate Middleton in The Crown 

Wallis Simpson’s up ‘do

wallis simpson hair waves© Photo: Netflix

Lia 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. 

real wallis simpson© Photo: Getty Images

The Crown nailed Wallis Simpson's hairdo

Prince Philip’s slicked-back hair

philip slicked back hair© Photo: Netflix

Matt 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. 

real prince philip© Photo: Getty Images

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh

The Queen’s gentle waves

the queen hair waves© Photo: Netflix

Claire 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. 

MORE: Gillian Anderson reveals 'boundaries' she made with partner and writer Peter Morgan on The Crown set

Prince Charles’s side parting and Princess Anne’s bob

princess anne prince charles© Photo: Netflix

Season 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.  

real princess anne© Photo: Getty Images

The Queen Mother with a young Prince Charles and Princess Anne

The Queen’s perm

the queen hair perm© Photo: Netflix

Olivia 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

real life queen hair© Photo: Getty Images

The Queen 

Princess Margaret's tiara dos

margaret tiara hair© Photo: Netflix

Vanessa 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.   

real tiara© Photo: Getty Images

Princess Margaret often wore a tiara in her hair

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