Claire Foy explains why she decided to return for final The Crown scene

Actor briefly reprised her role as the young monarch in season five

Claire Foy has given some insight into her decision to make a surprise return to The Crown in season five.

The actor portrayed young Queen Elizabeth II for the first two seasons of the Netflix drama, based on the lives of the royals during her 70-year reign.

To mark the passage of time in the series, the characters “age up” and are played by different actors as the show continues.

After Foy, Olivia Colman next portrayed the Queen for seasons three and four. She was then succeeded by Imelda Staunton in season five, who will continue the role for its sixth and final outing later this year.

Although Foy’s time in the show ended at the close of season two, fans were delighted when she appeared in the latest run of episodes, released in November.

As season five opens, Foy features in a flashback scene that shows the late Queen’s visit to Clydebank in 1953 to launch the Royal Yacht Britannia.

During her appearance on The Graham Norton Show on Friday (27 October), the actor spoke about why she decided to step into the role again, giving the simple explanation of being a fan of Staunton.

“I went back and did it again because it is a lovely thing to do and I really love Imelda,” she explained to Norton and the audience. “I think she is amazing.”

Claire Foy in season five of ‘The Crown’ (Netflix)

The actor, who also stars in the Best Picture Oscar-nominated film Women Talking, previously spoke about her cameo in The Crown on the US morning show Live with Kelly and Ryan in December.

After describing the process of being on set again as “weird”, Foy shut down host Kelly Ripa’s question of whether other cast members had treated her with “reverence” due to her being the first person to play the Queen on the show.

“No,” she replied. “I wish. That would’ve been great.”

The Graham Norton Show airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Friday 27 January at 10.40pm.