Shooting for the third season of The Crown is well underway, as we all know, but now we've been offered a glimpse of Olivia Colman on-set and in character.

She plays Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix's historical drama, taking over from The Girl in the Spider's Web actress Claire Foy.

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Season three also welcomes Tobias Menzies, Harry Potter's Helena Bonham Carter and Ben Daniels to the party, who'll be appearing as Prince Philip, Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, respectively.

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In these new photos of the hit Netflix series' filming, Queen Elizabeth (Colman) can be seen enjoying some down-time in the outdoors with her husband (Menzies) and her family.

And, not only is it a welcome change from the interior grandeur of the palace, but it also pays homage to the Queen's days spent with her family in the outdoors, as seen in the below picture taken in the grounds of Balmoral Castle.

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Getty Images

Related: The Crown series 3 reveals first look at Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip

We've also been given a first look at Colman and Bonham Carter together as they step into the roles of the sisters – although it doesn't look to be too happy an occasion, considering they're both seen wearing black.

Olivia Colman, Helena Bonham Carter filming for The Crown season 3, Wincesterpinterest
Rex/Shutterstock

According to creator Peter Morgan, the third season will take place between the years 1964 and 1976, which saw the death of Winston Churchill, the rise of Margaret Thatcher and Princess Margaret's affair with British baronet and landscape gardener Roddy Llewellyn, among other events that you can read in full here.

Peter Morgan has previously discussed Colman's casting and what she can bring to the iconic role, saying that the Peep Show actress has an "ability to be both plain and dazzling, and to be both knowable and unknowable".

"There's a sort of everywoman [quality]," he added. "There's something very connectable, and yet quite anonymous about Olivia. Now we've spent some time with her and it's exciting."

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TOLGA AKMEN/AFP/Getty Images

Fans of Colman can also check her out in the trailer for Yorgos Lanthimos' latest directorial venture The Favourite, in which she plays another Queen – this time starring as Queen Anne during her reign in the early 18th century.

The Crown season three arrives on Netflix in 2019. Seasons one and two are streaming now.


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Dan is a freelance entertainment journalist. Beginning his writing career in 2014, Dan's work first graced the pages of cult publications Starburst magazine and Little White Lies before moving onto Total Film, Digital Spy, NME and Yahoo Entertainment

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