Imelda Staunton has admitted she has mixed feelings about The Crown coming to an end.
The Bafta-winning star plays the late Queen Elizabeth II in the final two seasons of the hit Netflix drama, the final instalments of which began streaming on Thursday.
Speaking to the PA news agency before the finale’s debut, Imelda was full of praise for her time on The Crown, enthusing: “It’s been remarkable and I’ve loved every second of it.”
Admitting it was “quite hard” to say goodbye to the role, for which she’s been nominated for a TV Bafta and two Golden Globes, Imelda continued: “I’ve been living with it for two-and-a-half years, a bit longer and now that it’s over I feel bereft but relieved, I suppose, in equal measure.”
She added: “I think we were all ready, particularly the people who have been working on the show behind the scenes and the creatives for well over a decade.
“I think it was a bittersweet moment for them to finish.”
Her comments echo those made by The Crown creator Peter Morgan when asked how he felt about the show coming to an end.
“I mean [I feel] positively, relieved,” Peter told the show’s official companion podcast last month. “You know, like when people say, ‘What’s the difference between good pain and bad pain?’ I feel good pain.”
Peter added that he was “probably not sad that we’ve reached the end”, observing: “I think it was time.”
All six seasons of The Crown are available to stream on Netflix now.