The Crown star Olivia Colman has paid her respects to the Queen following the late monarch’s death last week.
Olivia played Queen Elizabeth II in the third and fourth seasons of the hit Netflix drama, bagging an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her performance as the late monarch.
Asked by Variety for a tribute, the Oscar winner admitted she “wouldn’t know where to begin”.
“She made a promise as a young woman and she absolutely kept it with such dignity,” she said. “We’re all incredibly impressed by what she did.”
Olivia was also full of praise for the Queen’s successor, King Charles III, who was portrayed by Josh O’Connor throughout her tenure at The Crown.
Speaking about the new King’s first televised address, Olivia continued: “From a British point of view, he did it so beautifully.
“He did it about love, tolerance and gentleness, and that is what she always wanted and she’s done.”
She added: “From the outside world looking at Great Britain, at the moment, we’ve got some comedy going on at one side – politics – and something so dignified.
“I felt proud to be British. I think he’s going to do a good job.”
Following Olivia’s departure from The Crown – which previously saw Claire Foy portraying the Queen in its first two seasons – the lead role will be played by Imelda Staunton in its next series.
Imelda will see out The Crown when it ends with series six, which was being filmed when news of the Queen’s death was announced.
Showrunner Peter Morgan revealed last week that filming would be briefly suspended as a mark of respect.
“The Crown is a love letter to her and I’ve nothing to add for now, just silence and respect,” he insisted. “I expect we will stop filming out of respect too.”
Its fifth season – co-starring Jonathan Pryce, Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki as Prince Philip, King Charles and Princess Diana, respectively – is expected to debut on Netflix in November.