The Crown and Downton Abbey have a funny connection through Downton‘s Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael). Created by Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey premiered in January 2011 and became a global sensation, spanning six seasons and three feature films, with the third Downton Abbey movie premiering in 2025. The Crown was executive produced by Peter Morgan and was one of Netflix’s most prestigious original series, spanning six award-winning seasons on the streamer.

Downton Abbey is set before The Crown, beginning from 1912 to the late 1920s, and is about the fictional Crawly family who own the venerable Yorkshire estate (the real-life Highclere Castle). The Crown charts the life of Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family, mainly starting from the late 1940s to the 2000s, concluding with the Queen’s death on September 8, 2022. Downton Abbey and The Crown cast the finest British actors, but Downton’s Lady Edith is an amusing link between the two series.

2 Of Lady Edith’s Downton Abbey Loves Play Queen Elizabeth’s Secretary In The Crown

The Actors Who Play Martin Charteris Are Familiar To Downton Abbey Fans

In The Crown, the two actors who played Queen Elizabeth’s private secretary, Martin Charteris, were also the two most notable lovers Lady Edith Crawley had on Downton Abbey. In The Crown seasons 1 and 2, Harry Hadden-Paton played the younger version Martin Charteris opposite Claire Foy’s Queen Elizabeth. In Downton Abbey, Hadden-Paton is Bertie Pelman, the Marquis of Hexam, in The Crown. Bertie became Lady Edith’s husband, rising her up to become the Marchioness of Hexam. Bertie also appears in the first two Downton Abbey movies, and will return in Downton Abbey 3.

In The Crown seasons 3 and 4, Martin Charteris is played by Charles Edwards, who was Lady Edith’s lover before she met Bertie Pelham in Downton Abbey. Edwards was Michael Gregson, Edith’s editor who became the father of her child, Marigold, in Downton. Gregson then vanished and was killed in Germany, leaving Edith heartbroken. Edwards played Charteris opposite Olivia Colman’s Queen Elizabeth II. It’s oddly amusing that The Crown would then cast both actors who were Lady Edith’s beaus as the Queen’s private secretary, Martin Charteris.

Downton Abbey & The Crown Also Have Other Big Connections

Key Members Of The Crown’s Royal Family Are Also In Downton Abbey

The Crown and Downton Abbey share scores of actors throughout both series’ incredibly popular runs, but there are three more rather significant thespians both have in common. Imelda Staunton portrayed Lady Maud Bagshaw, the cousin of Lord Grantham, Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville), in the first two films, Downton Abbey (2019) and Downton Abbey: A New Era. Staunton then took over the role of Queen Elizabeth II, playing the elderly Sovereign in The Crown seasons 5 and 6.

Matthew Goode is another major name who spans both Downton Abbey and The Crown. Goode played Henry Talbot, who married Lady Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery), in Downton Abbey season 6. Matthew cameoed as Henry in Downton Abbey (2019), but Goode didn’t return for Downton Abbey: A New Era. In The Crown season 2, Goode became the first actor to play Antony Armstrong-Jones, who married Princess Margaret (Vanessa Kirby), and became Lord Snowdon.

Dominic West also bridges both Downton Abbey and The Crown. West played Guy Dexter in Downton Abbey: A New Era. Dexter was a famous silent film star who was the leading man of the film shot at Downton Abbey. Guy and Downton’s butler, Thomas Barrow (Rob James-Collier), and they left Downton together as a couple. In The Crown seasons 5 and 6, Dominic West took on the role of Prince Charles opposite Elizabeth Debicki’s Princess Diana.