Helena Bonham Carter reveals shady remark made by Princess Margaret ahead of The Crown season 3

'I’m not sure which I’m more terrified about - doing justice to the real Princess Margaret or following in the shoes of Vanessa Kirby'
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Megan C. Hills19 August 2019

The royal family is set to return to Netflix this autumn with The Crown, as the third series will be released on November 17 later this year. With a brand new cast of characters set to take the helm, it turns out that one of the actors has actually had an awkward encounter with the royal they’re set to portray. Helena Bonham Carter, who will be taking over from Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret, revealed she had met the “scary” royal who cast doubt on Carter’s acting abilities.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Carter revealed that she knew Princess Margaret personally as she was a family friend. She explained, My uncle was actually very close to her. She was pretty scary.

Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret
Netflix

“At one point, [Princess Margaret] met me at Windsor Castle and she said, ‘You are getting better, aren’t you?’” Carter recounted.

When asked to clarify if she meant Princess Margaret was referring to her skill as an actor, Carter said, “I presume that’s what she meant.”

The somewhat backhanded compliment ties in with some of Princess Margaret’s other reported putdowns of A-listers, which would make singer Mariah Carey of “I don’t know her” fame proud. According to the Daily Mail, Princess Margaret allegedly once met Twiggy at a dinner party and ignored the iconic supermodel for two hours - before finally asking what her name was.

Princess Margaret in 1958
Getty Images

Twiggy is said to have responded, “I’m Lesley Hornby, Ma’am, but people call me Twiggy.”

How unfortunate,” Princess Margaret reportedly stated, before turning away from her.

The Telegraph also claimed that Judy Garland once called Princess Margaret a “nasty, rude little princess” and they also added that the royal reportedly told movie star Grace Kelly, “You don’t look like a movie star.”

Princess Margaret and Lauren Bacall in 1972
Getty Images

Grace Kelly, who would then go onto become a royal in her own right when she married Prince Albert of Monaco, is said to have responded, “Well, I wasn’t born a movie star.”

While a full length trailer for the upcoming season of The Crown has yet to be released, promotional stills from the set show Carter dressed as the royal and peering down her nose at a cigarette. After her casting was announced, Carter said in a statement, “I’m not sure which I’m more terrified about - doing justice to the real Princess Margaret or following in the shoes of Vanessa Kirby.”

Kirby appears to have given Carter her blessing, as she shared an image of the pair on Instagram along with the caption “Honoured”.

Carter added in her statement, “The only thing I can guarantee is that I’ll be shorter than Vanessa.”

Netflix: The Crown - Series 3

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