Claire Foy to make shock return in The Crown season 4

Claire Foy played the Queen for two seasons of The Crown before being replaced but new photos reveal she’s set to make a surprise comeback.

Claire Foy will make a shock return in The Crown season 4 after she was spotted filming the Queen’s 21st birthday broadcast.

The actress played the monarch in her early years in the first two seasons of the hit Netflix show, winning a slew of awards in the process, The Sun reports.

She was replaced in season three by Olivia Colman as the storylines move into the 1960s and 1970s, but fans of the show will be beside themselves to see pictures of Foy, 35, back on set.

The star will appear in a flashback scene focusing on the speech the Queen gave on her 21st birthday from Cape Town, South Africa in 1947.

Claire Foy is back as The Queen on The Crown. Picture: Splash News

In it, the future Monarch, who was touring the country with her parents and younger sister Margaret at the time, said: “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”

In the pictures, Foy was seen in a beautiful white dress and pearl necklace, with a vintage BBC microphone in front of her.

Claire Foy was replaced on The Crown after the cast was updated to reflect the ageing of the royals from the earlier series. Picture: Splash News

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Sadly, the scenes weren’t filmed in the warmth of South Africa and Foy was seen wrapped in a dressing gown in between takes while the crew were all sporting winter coats, hats and scarves.

The new pictures come a week after fans of The Crown begged show bosses to bring Foy back as they struggled to adjust to the change of cast.

The cast was updated to reflect the ageing of the Royals, with Helena Bonham Carter taking over as Princess Margaret from Vanessa Kirby and Tobias Menzies replacing Matt Smith as Prince Philip.

Olivia Colman portrays Queen Elizabeth II, left, and Tobias Menzies portrays Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in The Crown season three. Picture: Sophie Mutevelian/Netflix

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However some fans were quick to take to social media to voice their disappointment with the new cast and fears they wouldn’t be able to get used to them in the regal roles.

One wrote on Twitter: “I’m struggling with the cast change in this new season of #TheCrown. Claire Foy really did something with that character. #thecrown3.”

A second tweeted: “The jury is still out on the new cast. I’m struggling a bit. #TheCrown.”

A third added: “I love Olivia Colman but Claire Foy killed the role of Elizabeth. Watching this season of The Crown without Claire is slightly disappointing.”

Meanwhile a fourth shared: “I’m sorry but Olivia Coleman is just Olivia Coleman in The Crown. She is not the queen. Bring back Claire Foy. And Olivia Coleman is one of my favourite actors, brilliant in Fleabag, Broadchurch, Peep Show etc. #TheCrownNetflix #thecrown3.”

Claire Foy poses with the Best Actress in a Drama TV series award for her role in The Crown in 2017. Picture: AFP / Robyn Beck

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission