The Crown’s Olivia Colman admits she SWORE when she unexpectedly met the Queen

She recently took on the role of Her Majesty in series three of Netflix hit The Crown.

But despite her regal poise in the much-loved show, Olivia Colman admitted she swore when she met The Queen in real life.

The award-winning actress, 46, confessed she let slip the F-bomb when she encountered the monarch, who was luckily not in earshot of her four-letter slip.

Speaking to The Mirror, Olivia recalled the unexpected moment she came face-to-face with the Queen six years ago at a film industry event held at Windsor Castle. 

The star told how she became baffled as she found herself standing in a line of people, after not being aware that the Queen would be in attendance.

Discussing her bewilderment, she told the publication: ‘I didn’t think she’d be there and suddenly we all ended up in a big queue.’

She continued: ‘I thought somebody was using the rooms for the bash and then suddenly we looked down the corridor and went “Oh, f**k!”‘

The thespian added: ‘A man in epaulettes was telling us to do “just a little bow, don’t overdo it”. He sort of shuffled us forwards saying “your majesty, then your royal highness, then keep moving because she has hundreds of people to get through.”‘

Luckily, she regained her composure long enough to greet the monarch.

Olivia joined The Crown in series three, taking over from actress Claire Foy who portrayed the Queen in her younger years.

She joined co-star Helena Bonham Carter on the show, who stepped into the role of Princess Margaret following Vanessa Kirby’s portrayal. 

And Olivia sweetly revealed that she and Helena, 54, have become the best of pals after bonding on set. 

She said: ‘I’d like to say we have become lifelong friends and we found it very easy to get on with one another. It ­became quite sisterly.’

While Helena remarked: ‘I’ve never had a sister and I’ve always wanted one and now I have got one.’ 

Earlier this month, Olivia was once again a dead ringer for Queen Elizabeth II in the first trailer for series four of The Crown. 

The Oscar winner dons the Guards’ Regiment uniform to ride horseback for the preview, for what appears to be a recreation of the annual Trooping of the Colour ceremony.

Series four – which will be released on Sunday, November 15th – will also see the introduction of Princess Diana, played by Emma Corrin, and will recreate her early romance, and later wedding, to Prince Charles.

In the first seconds of the preview, Olivia can be seen dressed in the regal attire which the Queen traditionally wore as Colonel-in-Chief for each and every Trooping of the Colour until 1986. 

Once again she is the spitting image of Her Majesty in the late 1970s, which is when series four of The Crown will begin, as she emerges from Buckingham Palace for the annual ceremony.

The Trooping of the Colour was an annual ceremony performed by the regiments of the British and Commonwealth armies to celebrate the Queen’s official birthday, and typically sees the Royal Family in attendance. 

This year, the ceremony was substantially scaled back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Queen simply watching a mini-version from Windsor Castle.

In the trailer, Olivia also offers an eery voiceover, saying: ‘Something as important as monarchy simply cannot be allowed to fail.’

But a majority of the trailer focuses on Emma Corrin’s depiction of Lady Diana Spencer, who would eventually become Princess Of Wales, one of the most iconic figures in Royal History. 

The fourth series will document her blossoming romance with Prince Charles, as the trailer features the moment she emerges to greet an army of photographers, along with crowds cheering her name as she travels the world on behalf of the monarchy.

The trailer hints there could be dark times ahead for the monarchy as behind closed doors they are growing increasingly divided.  

Following the Queen’s introduction, the trailer cuts to a glimpse of Gillian Anderson as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, with the series set to begin at the start of her rise to power.