Netflix releases first picture of Olivia Colman as the Queen in The Crown

Netflix have released the first image of Olivia Colman as the Queen for the forthcoming third series of The Crown.

Colman, 44, has taken over the role of the monarch from Claire Foy, who played the Queen in the first two series of the Netflix royal drama. 

The streaming service posted the image with little fanfare on its UK Twitter account, captioned with the word "patience".

The profile shot suggests that Netflix aren't scrimping on their big-budget drama for the third season, with artful photography and lavish surroundings as key to the look and feel of The Crown as they have been so far. It is, reportedly, the most expensive TV show ever made, with budgets reaching $130 million.

Colman was announced as the new Queen in October. She will star alongside Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip,  Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret and Jason Watkins as Prime Minister Harold Wilson.

The Crown cast and characters

While the second season of the Crown dealt with the scandal surrounding Margaret and Lord Snowdon's marriage, the third will take place in the Seventies, and introduce a young Camilla Parker Bowles, whom Prince Charles met at a polo match in 1971.

The Crown | The truth behind the story lines