The Crown season three: first photo of Olivia Colman as the Queen

Netflix has released the first promotional image of Olivia Colman as the Queen in the forthcoming third series of royal drama The Crown.

The photo, shot in the elegant style of a royal portrait, shows Colman in full costume, clad in one of the Queen’s trademark cardigans and holding a teacup.

Under the photo, the accompanying caption simply reads “patience” - a clever dual reference both to the monarch’s famous restraint and the long wait ahead for fans before the show’s return. No release date has been confirmed, but it is thought that new episodes will appear at the end of 2018 or early 2019.

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The still is the first glimpse of the upcoming series, which will feature new actors in the roles of the Queen, Prince Philip and Princess Margaret as the characters enter middle age.

Alongside Colman’s monarch, Game of Thrones star Tobias Menzies will step into Matt Smith’s shoes as Prince Philip, while two-time Oscar nominee Helena Bonham Carter takes over from Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret.

Fan reaction to the image was bittersweet, as the show’s devotees welcomed Colman to the role, while simultaneously mourning the end of Claire Foy’s celebrated turn as the younger queen.

Series two of the biographical drama portrayed the Queen’s life during the 1950s and 1960s, and series three will depict the period up to 1976, Radio Times reports.

Key moments are likely to include the breakdown of Princess Margaret’s marriage to Lord Snowdon, Prince Charles’ investiture as the Prince of Wales and the Queen’s friendship with Harold Wilson - one of her favourites of the 13 prime ministers who have served during her reign.

According to Suzanne Mackie, a producer on the show, the latest series “will introduce Camilla Parker Bowles, who Prince Charles met at a polo match in 1971”, Good Housekeeping reports.