Netflix’s drama series — and the most expensive television show ever made —
The Crown follows the life of Queen Elizabeth and the British royal family.

Claire Foy won a Golden Globe for Best Actress for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth in Season 1, and will reprise her role for Season 2 (which hits the streaming network on Friday, Dec. 8) before passing on the baton for Season 3. In fact, every two seasons of the six season series will see a brand new cast portray the British royal family.

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Claire winning her Golden Globe in January 2017.

“I always knew from the get-go that I was only going to be doing two [seasons]. I’m just very grateful that I have had such a wonderful time playing that part and made friends for life,” Claire said in a previous interview. Showrunner Peter Morgan also recently explained the casting change. “I feel that when we reach 1963-64 we’ve gone as far as we can go with Claire Foy without having to do silly things in terms of makeup to make her look older. She can’t help the fact she’s as young as she is.”

While Claire has loved the challenge of the role, she admitted to People that she’s also glad to be taking off Queen Elizabeth’s tiara, describing the cast handover as “a real plus” at the British Film Institute and Radio Times Festival.

“As an actor, there’s nothing worse than the sound of ‘seven years,’” she elaborated. “I’m sure to some people it sounds amazing, but to us it’s like, seven years of playing the same person? And this is a tough job, you know?”

While she’s excited to have the chance to move onto to new projects, it will be an emotional farewell. “I will miss it terribly, but I just can’t wait to see where it goes,” Claire said.

For Season 2, the already star-studded cast will be joined by Downton Abbey’s Matthew Goode, who will play Antony Armstrong-Jones, the Earl of Snowden. Dexter star Michel C. Hall will be portraying American president John F. Kennedy. His wife Jackie Kennedy will be played by Jodi Balfour.

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Claire as Queen Elizabeth on The Crown.

While details on Season 3 are scarce at this stage, we will see the entrance of another famous face in the story of the British royal family. “You start meeting Camilla Parker Bowles in Season 3,” producer Suzanne Mackie said at the British Film Institute and Radio Times Festival in London.

Of course, her relationship with Prince Charles and the ensuing love triangle with Princess Diana has been well-documented but we can’t wait to see the show’s interpretation of one of the most famous royal scandals of all time.

Parts of this story originally appeared on NowToLove.com.

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