Imelda Staunton Was on “The Crown” Set When She Learned of Queen Elizabeth's Death: 'I Was Inconsolable'

The actress portrays the late monarch on the final two seasons of the Netflix series

Imelda Staunton is revealing where she was when she learned of Queen Elizabeth's death.

The actress, 67, appeared on The Graham Norton Show Friday, where she shared her reaction to the loss of the late monarch, who died in September 2022.

After being asked by host Graham Norton if she was filming The Crown when the Queen died, Staunton — who portrays the last of three iterations of the royal on the Netflix series — said, "Lesley Manville, who plays Princess Margaret, and myself were filming, and at lunchtime we were told we might hear some sad news."

Noting that she was at first confused, the actress said that production then alerted her it was tied to the Queen's death and asked if she wanted to pause filming, which she declined.

"We carried on and finished the day, ... and weirdly, in the schedule, I had 10 days off, which was the 10 days of mourning," she continued. " I was inconsolable that night. And I would have been sad, but obviously, I think it was fuelled by living with her for so long."

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Related: What Claire Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton Each Brought to Role of Queen Elizabeth in The Crown (Exclusive)

Queen Elizabeth's death was announced on Sept. 8, 2022. The late monarch was 96.

"The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon," Buckingham Palace announced in an official statement at the time. "The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."

Upon the Queen's death, the United Kingdom — where she had reigned for a record 70 years — and other nations that called her the head of state or Sovereign went into public mourning.

Queen Elizabeth left behind four children, eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren at the time of her death.

Related: How Did The Crown End? All About the Royal Drama's Final Bow on Netflix

Staunton portrays Queen Elizabeth on The Crown's final two seasons, after Claire Foy helmed the role during seasons 1 and 2 and Olivia Colman took over the part for seasons 3 and 4.

When she acquired the role, Staunton spoke to presenter Emma Barnett on BBC radio's Woman's Hour about the "extra challenge" that came with playing a more contemporary version of the Queen.

"I think my sort of extra challenge, as if I needed it, is that I’m now doing the Queen that we’re a little more familiar with," the actress — who is most popularly known for playing Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter films and as Lady Bagshaw in the Downton Abbey movie — explained at the time.

"With Claire Foy, it was almost history, and now I’m playing one that people could say, 'She doesn’t do that,' or 'She’s not like that,' and that’s my personal bête noire," Staunton added.

The final episodes of The Crown are currently streaming on Netflix.

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