Colman’s right royal earful for turning Queen ‘Cockney’

OLIVIA COLMAN says she has to be reminded not to turn the Queen into a Cockney while working on The Crown.

The Oscar-winner found herself mimicking Dick Van Dyke’s London tones from 1964 film Mary Poppins while on the set of the show.

So a voice coach was hired to correct her lines through an earpiece during scenes. ‘Playing the Queen is not all me. You have an awful lot of assistance,’ said The Favourite star.

‘There is an amazing voice department who whisper vowel sounds and things, because I keep going off.

‘Weirdly, I feel her (the Queen’s) voice is close to Cockney, which is hard to explain, and I can feel myself going off in the wrong direction,’ Colman added.

The 45-year-old, who takes over the role of the monarch from Claire Foy, 34, said ‘an amazing movement coach, Polly’, also showed her how Her Majesty sits, stands and holds her handbag.

‘The research department search for all the footage there has been and send it you. You watch her lots,’ she added. Series three of The Crown will be on Netflix next month.

Author: James Desborough