‘I think she paved the way for Meghan and Harry'

‘I think she paved the way for Meghan and Harry' Intro::: The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby says Princess Margaret’s attempt to marry divorcee Peter Townsend blazed the trail for future royal romances

Her portrayal of Princess Margaret in hit drama The Crown won her a BAFTA award, with her reenacting the royal's pain at being denied permission to marry divorcee Peter Townsend perfectly.

And Vanessa Kirby has opened up about her role in the series, admitting that Margaret may have paved the way for Prince Harry to marry Meghan Markle, who was subjected to much judgement for having a previous marriage.

The Wimbledon-born actress, 30, also admitted that she won the nickname 'Bambi' behind the scenes for her clumsiness and cried at the end of the season, in an honest interview as she posed for Marie Claire's cover this month.

Speaking about Princess Margaret, whose sister Queen Elizabeth II denied her permission to marry the love of her life as he had previously been married, Vanessa said: 'I can’t help but think she did [pave the way for Meghan and Harry].

She continued: ‘Margaret knew when she got involved with Peter Townsend that her family wouldn’t approve, and yet she wasn’t going to give up. I think she was trying to modernise the royal family from the inside and make it better for people later on.

'I heard she was still very bitter about it 20 years on. That really informed how I wanted to play her because if you’re bitter [years later] about somebody else being able to marry [a divorcee], it suggests your wound is very deep.’

Revealing that she joked with Helena Bonham-Carter about 'passing on the baton', Vanessa admitted that she feared her career had 'peaked' with the role.

She also told how her clumsiness behind the scenes and tendency to burn cigarette holes in costumes earned her the nickname Bambi, revealing that the opulent diamonds used to film were in fact all plastic as 'she could not be trusted'.

Recalling how she was filming scenes with Tom Cruise, Vanessa told how kissing scenes soon sparked real life romance rumours, with boyfriend (actor War & Peace actor Callum Turner) being contacted by worried friends.

Vanessa previously spoke to The Daily Mail about the rumours she was 'engaged' to Tom Cruise to quash the ‘ludicrous’ reports.

She explained: ‘There’s literally zero truth in it. I’ve been in a relationship for two years! The rumours came out after I’d met Tom, once, in a roomful of people.

Speaking about her boyfriend, who she has been dating for over two years, she added: 'We hadn’t started filming, and all of a sudden we’re getting married! It’s so bizarre. My boyfriend found it hilarious.’

- Daily Mail.uk