The Crown's Helena Bonham Carter on playing Princess Margaret: 'The license to behave badly was fantastic'

“When you play someone real, you really want their blessing because you do have a responsibility,” Bonham Carter explained to an audience at Cheltenham literature festival.

• Discover the real history behind Netflix’s The Crown

Talking specifically about her “little chat” with the sister to Queen Elizabeth II, who died in 2002, Bonham Carter claimed Margaret said she was “glad” about her casting in the Netflix drama.

The actor recalled (via The Guardian): “She said: ‘But you’re going to have to brush up and be more groomed and neater.’ Then she said: ‘Get the smoking right. I smoked in a very particular way. Remember that – this is a big note – the cigarette holder was as much a weapon for expression as it was for smoking.’”

Bonham Carter also revealed she had a personal connection to Margaret, as her uncle, the former Liberal MP Mark Bonham Carter, had once dated the royal.

“They always remained good friends. I have photos of them together and they look really dashing as a couple,” she said. “It was definitely pre-Townsend [Peter Townsend]. They remained forever friends.”

The actor also revealed she previously met the princess, with Margaret telling her at one reception: “Oh Helena … You are getting better at acting, aren’t you?”

Bonham Carter is set to take over the royal role in The Crown when the drama returns for a third season on Sunday 17th November 2019. She’ll star opposite Olivia Colman (who will play Queen Elizabeth II) and Tobias Menzies (Prince Philip).

The series will also star Jason Watkins (Prime Minister Harold Wilson), Call the Midwife’s Erin Doherty (Princess Anne) and a young Prince Charles (The Durrells’ Josh O’Connor).

The Crown returns Sunday 17th November 2019 on Netflix"There is a great fun in playing a royal, it's got to be said," declares Helena Bonham Carter. "Because even though they obviously know that you're not really royal and you're faking it, they treat you like royalty."

The actress has now finished filming for The Crown, in which she plays the Queen's younger sister Princess Margaret. Season four will hopefully arrive on Netflix later in 2020, and season three has already earned her a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress; the virtual 'ceremony' is due to take place on Friday 31st July.

And on set for The Crown, Bonham Carter found people reacting to her like she was the late Princess herself.

"Even though I'm not remotely like Margaret, she did creep in," the actress said. "But people treated me like Margaret, and they were ready to be frightened of me."

The Princess herself had a reputation for being difficult, witty, decadent, rebellious, spoilt, charismatic, troubled, demanding and glamorous (among other adjectives).

"The license to behave badly was fantastic, too," Bonham Carter added. "I could just be very demanding, and they would all find it hysterically funny."

With season four having wrapped, the actress is now preparing to hand over the role of Princess Margaret to Lesley Manville, who will star as the Queen's sister in seasons five and six.

But she's reluctant to hand over a few other things...

Asked about whether she'd taken any souvenirs from set, Bonham Carter confided in RadioTimes.com and other press: "I'm not allowed to admit it. But I've got loads, shedloads. I'm going to eBay them later.

"No, [I've got] a couple of things. I've got some pearls. I'm going to have to hand them back, I guess...!"

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