Meg Bellamy is The Crown season 6's breakout star, playing Kate Middleton in the final season of the Netflix sensation.
Having beaten off competition from hundreds of other young stars, Meg was cast alongside Ed McVey (Prince William) and Luther Ford (Prince Harry) to portray the next generation of royals.
"Stepping into Kate's shoes has made me really fond of her," the 21-year-old talent told The Times. "Growing up in a non-royal background, there's a nice simplicity to it. She's so approachable, self-assured, classy and emotionally intelligent. I really admire that about her."
Meg's rise to fame has been nothing short of staggering. In the blink of an eye she's gone from amateur stage productions to being watched by an audience of millions.
But what is there to know about Meg in real life? Let us fill you in...
Meg Bellamy grew up 10 minutes from Kate Middleton
Meg Bellamy was born on October 9, 2002, in Leeds, but her family relocated to the Royal County of Berkshire when she was five.
She's the first member of her family to be in the industry - Meg's mum works in pharmaceuticals and her dad is a businessman.
By her own admission, there are lots of men in Meg's clan. She's got a brother, a half-brother and two step-brothers, ranging in age between 30 and 9. Meg is super close to all her siblings and told Interview Magazine she loves "Playing Mario Kart with my younger brothers. I promise you I’m a beast at that game!"
As fate would have it, Meg grew up in the same county as Kate Middleton, a mere 10 minutes apart.
She attended St Crispin's Secondary in Wokingham, where she was head girl and excelled at team sports, her favourite being hockey.
She started acting as a little girl
Meg's mum, who's a huge fan of theatre and incidentally, the Royal family, realised her daughter had a talent for performing at a young age.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Meg revealed: "I was always singing and putting on little shows, so my mum decided that I needed an outlet and sent me to the Stagecoach Performing Arts school when I was three or four."
Meg did a lot of musical theatre in school - she played the lead role of Sandy in Grease, and Scaramouche in We Will Rock You.
"It was always a highlight of my year," she said. "I would wait for the bell at the end of the day, so we could do two hours of rehearsals after school."
She used to work at Legoland
Post A-levels, Meg opted not to go down the drama school route and got a job working at Legoland!
It was during this time The Crown's casting team put a shout on social channels that they were looking for a budding young star to play Kate Middleton.
Despite having no formal credits to her name, Meg decided to take a chance and sent off a self-tape - which then led to an audition and screen test, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Meg got the life-changing call to say she'd won the part when she mid-shift at Legoland dressed as a snake, then had to go back to work and pretend like nothing had happened.
The Crown is her first professional acting role
It might be hard to believe, but The Crown is Meg's first rodeo in the professional acting world.
Aside from her plays at school, Meg has featured in a couple of small-budget student films, and was also applying for indie projects when the opportunity of The Crown came up.
Meg is playing 18-year-old Kate in the sixth series of the drama, which is set in the early noughties, but the actress wasn't even born until late 2002. This meant Meg had to do her research into Kate's life prior to marrying the future King - something she really enjoyed.
In a chat with E! News, she shared: “It’s quite nice to remove the layer of the complexities that come with being a royal and just play her as a girl that’s going to university and falling in love."
Killing Eve's Villanelle is her style icon
Meg is a huge fan of high street shopping and comfort dressing.
Prior to getting cast in The Crown, the actress admits her style was more grandad than glamorous and consisted of lots of high-waisted trousers and baggy knits.
But now she's the new darling of the fashion world, Meg has attended events hosted by Cartier and Vanity Fair, and enjoyed modelling outfits from high fashion brands, such as Gucci and Valentino.
And the star has two, rather different, style icons who she likes to take inspiration from.
"Villanelle from Killing Eve – she’s my go-to style icon," she told The Telegraph.
"I love her boldness and daring and the big colours and shapes. But then Audrey Hepburn, with her pearls, is up there as well."
She's never dyed her hair
True fact. Meg's long glossy brunette locks are 100 per cent natural.
They bear a striking similarity to Kate Middleton's own chocolate-brown tresses, which meant Meg didn't have to undergo a dramatic hair transformation.
"They (The Crown's hair and make-up department) definitely told me not to change my hair," Meg explained to The Times.
"This is my natural colour, I've never dyed it and I don't wear a wig, so if I suddenly dyed my hair red or something then that would be annoying."
She has a distinctive feature
Meg has revealed she's got a distinguishing feature, that's not visible to most people.
In a chat with Interview Magazine she revealed: "I have a big birthmark on my right rib. I used to be so self-conscious of it for some reason, but now I love it!"
She likes to keep fit
Meg is looking forward to what 2024 has in store, work-wise, but she's also found a new pastime to keep her occupied - running!
"I’ve taken up running recently. If you’d asked me a year ago, I would have said I’ll never run anywhere," she told The Telegraph.
"I find it’s such a sense of achievement to have a distance or race in mind, and then complete it. It keeps your mental health in check. I love it."
Might we see Meg running the London Marathon one day?
Meg Bellamy's fact file
Frequently asked questions about the star...
How old is Meg Bellamy?
Meg Bellamy is 21, she was born on October 9, 2002.
Is Meg Bellamy married?
Meg Bellamy is single, but likes to keep her relationship status private.
Does Meg Bellamy have any children?
Meg Bellamy does not have any children.
Where was Meg Bellamy born?
Meg Bellamy was born in Leeds.
How tall is Meg Bellamy?
Meg Bellamy is five foot seven.
Instagram: @megkbellamy
We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.
