The Crown ’s Meg Bellamy Reveals the Secret to Acing Kate Middleton’s Makeup

Justin Downing/Netflix

The team behind Netflix’s The Crown has proven time and time again they know how to cast stars, especially when it comes to previously unknown female actors playing these iconic roles. From Claire Foy and Vanessa Kirby to Erin Doherty and Emma Corrin, it should come as no surprise that they’ve nailed it once again with the casting of a pre-Princess of Wales Kate Middleton.

Meet Meg Bellamy.

The Berkshire, South East England, native was never told she looked like Kate Middleton growing up, but she does bear a striking resemblance to Prince William’s wife. With her long brown hair, inviting eyes, and rosy cheeks, it’s hard not to think of one of the most famous women on the planet. But when Bellamy first heard of the open casting call, she was only thinking about two things: “I loved acting, and wanted to be an actor, and I’d also seen The Crown and loved The Crown,” Bellamy tells Glamour over Zoom.

She was also 19, which was the age the show’s casting directors were looking for.

“I was like, Well, of course, I’m going to apply. I love this show. What do I have to lose?” Bellamy says with a laugh. “I sent a self-tape first, and then you do more in-person screen tests. It was a long process but it all worked out well.”

That’s an understatement. While Bellamy doesn’t appear until the seventh episode of the final season, she immediately infuses new life into the storied series. Much as with Diana’s entrance in season four, you can’t wait to see what happens next, even if you already know how history unfolds (and we all do).

Bellamy not only grew up in the same county as the Middleton family, but she took a gap year as well when she was 19. “I wasn’t at university, so I was submitting myself for short films and student films wherever I could. The Crown came along in a very lovely time.”

The only downside, of course, is that she doesn’t get to play Kate for very long, given that Peter Morgan’s Emmy-winning series wraps up its run with these final episodes (all six premiere on Thursday, December 14). Even so, Bellamy is relishing in the career highlight when and where she can.

“I attended my first premiere to celebrate part one of The Crown [recently], and it was so good. Very surreal. I think you never get used to these things,” she said.

Maybe not, but you also never forget your first. And so Bellamy opens up about transforming into university-bound Kate, what she wishes she could ask the Princess of Wales, and the trick to getting “Kate Middleton eyes.”

Glamour: Given that this is your first big role, I can’t imagine the pressure you might have felt, and yet you carry episode 607, titled “Alma Matter.” What was that like?

Meg Bellamy: Yeah. I think the idea of it was more nerve-racking than the reality. You obviously have pressure not just from playing a real person, but also The Crown is such an incredible show. I felt very strongly that I didn’t want to let anybody down. But then when you’re on set, it’s so intimate and welcoming and friendly. It is such a well-oiled machine, so I could just do my work and take pride in it. It is really a team effort, which I think makes it much less daunting.

Speaking of a team effort, you mentioned being a huge fan of The Crown before you joined the show. What was it like when you met the cast for the first time?

I didn’t really have time to think about that because the first time I met everybody was at the read-through, which was halfway through my audition process. I wasn’t cast yet, but they got the final eight Kates and then picked me to read for Kate at this read-through. I met everyone—all the cast, producers, directors, heads of departments. It was very surreal and it all came at once, which was just very exciting.

Have you been following Kate and the rest of the royal family over the years?

I grew up very aware of the royal family. I just didn’t necessarily have any strong feelings towards them. But I’ve always been fond of Kate. Just from researching her, I grew even more fond. You feel closeness to someone when you study them all day, every day. I really admire her as a leader and I think she’s awesome. I love what Peter Morgan’s done with her character in the script.

As you were doing research, is there anything you wish you could have asked Kate?

Probably her decision to change from Edinburgh University to St. Andrews, because initially, she wasn’t going there. I think there’s a lot of speculation that that’s all because of Prince William. And I don’t think it’s as simple as that, so I would want to know what elements led her to the change.

We’ve heard these stories that her mother, Carole, was puppeteering her meeting William at university, but I feel like there’s more to that story that we just don’t know.

Yeah. Of course, Kate has her own autonomy and things like that, so I would want to know that, I think, because it’s still a gray area. The Crown has no behind-the-scenes [scoop] at all. I know as much as anybody else.

In your first episode, we see Kate and her mom come face-to-face with Princess Diana and Prince William on the street, so did you talk to Peter about that? Was that something that he totally fictionalized?

I’m not too sure. There were rumors that they had met before. I think it was hockey at her school when they were both 14, 15, and that she was aware of him. I mean, of course you would’ve been aware of him growing up. But in terms of meeting on the streets of London, I think that was probably an element of creative license there. I didn’t read that that actually happened.

Or that Princess Diana was there.

Yeah. Because what are the chances?

Was there an element of Kate’s look that you really loved getting to delve into? Or something that surprised you?

Oh, my gosh, so much of it. It was so fascinating. I loved every fitting, just seeing what they pulled from the rack and stuff. But I’d say the most useful stuff that I wore was the low-rise jeans, thick chunky belts, and long horse boots of the time, just because it’s so far away from anything I wear. I don’t own any low-rise jeans, I never have. It really changes how you hold yourself and your posture and things like that, so that was really interesting to feel different.

Speaking of the boots, in episode 607 you’re wearing the ones with the tassels on them that Kate has had forever.

Yeah. [Costume designers Amy Roberts and Sidonie Roberts] did so well. They had a whole mood board of lots of outfits that were inspired by her. We'd often try something on, and then Sidonie would be like, "Look." She'd point to a photo of Kate and it was the exact same cardigan or something. It was amazing. They sourced it from all over the world. Sidonie got loads of stuff at a dog rescue charity shop, actually. It just shows you can still access those pieces of history everywhere.

How did you work on Kate’s voice? Because we didn’t really hear Kate speak until she did the engagement interview with Prince William in 2010.

You’re exactly right. It was tricky, because obviously, there was no footage of her speaking or even moving in the era that I play her. It was a lot about listening to her now, thinking about what might be a habit for her, how she says certain vowels, and then de-royalifying her movement. Maybe she wouldn’t be as poised. Maybe she would’ve been more relaxed around the people that she’s closest with. Also, with the voice, pitching it higher to appear younger, things like that. But as much as we are from the same area, the voice is actually very different, way more than I ever expected. Working on it with William Conacher, our dialect coach, was really, really fascinating.

Where did you grow up compared to where she did?

I grew up in Berkshire. We are in the same county.

Wow. So do you feel even more of a connection to her after playing her? Have you had Google alerts set to her?

At the time I was researching her, [Google alerts] would pop up on my phone all the time, and anything that popped up was useful and I would use it. Stuff still pops up all the time just because of who I interact with, and my role, and everything like that. But I don’t [like to] look at her because I’m scared that I’ll see a mannerism and think, I should have used that.

Her hair is so amazing, and so is yours. Did you learn any Kate Middleton hair tricks?

We didn’t do a whole lot different because my hair was kind of similar to Kate’s, but as soon as I was cast, I was told, “Don’t cut it or dye it or do anything crazy.” I don’t think I cut my hair for six, seven months. But we diffused it in the morning to get more of a natural wavy texture that’s a bit more like Kate’s. And sometimes we’d have what’s called a weft or a piece, which is a band of extra hair, so if we were doing a bigger look or a party look, we’d use that.

What about her makeup? Anything that surprised you?

Something that was really fascinating is we rounded my eyes a little bit because Kate often wore heavier eye makeup and she has round eyes, so we’d make the eyeliner thicker in the middle parts of my eyes. So just little intricate things that I really get nerdy about. The research that goes into the look is absolutely amazing, and it’s really a pleasure to be that canvas.

Lastly, tell us a fun fact about yourself.

My middle name is Kate and my old email had my middle name in it. I think everybody that I emailed was like, “Did you change your email because you got the role?” I’m like, “No, it’s my middle name.'” [Laughs.]

Jessica Radloff is the Glamour senior West Coast editor and author of the NYT best-selling book The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series.

Originally Appeared on Glamour