As Netflix's The Crown moves into a new stage in Queen Elizabeth II's life, a new Queen must be cast. The only thing that makes this even somewhat is ok -- since Claire Foy, formerly playing the monarch, was so exceptional -- is that Olivia Colman is the one taking up the mantle (or the scepter, as it were). Colman is an incredible actress, so as upsetting as it is to say goodbye to our original cast members from the last two seasons, their replacements are pretty fantastic.

Rounding out that new cast: Tobias Menzies will play Prince Philip (formerly played by Matt Smith), Helena Bonham Carter will be Princess Margaret (formerly Vanessa Kirby), and Ben Daniels will play the charming but perhaps not fully emotionally trustworthy Antony Armstrong-Jones, Margaret’s husband (played previous by Matthew Goode). Beginning more or less where the last season ended, Season 3 will cover the 1960s and 70s. One of the biggest mysteries left about the new season, though, is who will play young Prince Charles. Josh O'Connor (God's Own Country) is a name that has been floating around, and if you've seen The Durrells in Corfu, you'll know how perfect that would be.

But as for what we do know: today, Netflix released the first image of Colman as Her Majesty, and it is pretty much perfect. She has a cup of tea in hand, which is obviously a must, but also the hair, the clothing, the expression ... few productions are a lush and as gorgeously detailed as The Crown, and moving into a new era of fashion should be interesting to explore. The show's second season managed to be an improvement over its already excellent debut, so Season 3 has a lot to live up to. And yet, with this cast, I have a feeling it won't have any trouble with that.

Check out the Tweet and the new photo below:

[EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/TheCrownNetflix/status/1018752145192050688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw[/EMBED_TWITTER]