The latest installment shifts focus from the senior royal family members to Prince William as it divulges the start of his romance with Kate Middleton.

In the sensational role of the soon-to-be Duchess is Meg Bellamy, an acting newcomer who has made a splash with viewers for her portrayal of Kate during her university years but little is known about the rising star.

The Berkshire actress is making her acting debut in The Crown, after answering an open casting call in early 2022 and got the role of a lifetime when she was just 19.

Speaking to Vogue earlier this month, the now 21-year-old revealed that after high school she had applied to drama schools but was rejected, and took a job in Legoland in Windsor to make ends meet while she built up her resume with student films.

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Just a few months later the actress was splashed across the covers of media sites around the globe when the casting announcement was made in September last year.

While she admitted she has no memory of watching Kate and William's romance play out in the public eye, she was committed to her research in preparation for the role and tried her best to "de-royal-ify" the Duchess she knows Kate to be.

She explained: "The way that I play her, she doesn't know that she's going to marry William."

When Meg eventually made it to set, the rising star realised she wasn't entirely prepared for the terrority that came with her newfound fame even before the series was released, especially when she as Ed McVey, who plays Prince William, filmed on location at St Andrew's campus.

Meg recalled the "crazy" times when students would rush the pair with their cellphones, taking pictures and videos that quickly went across social media, only to return home and peacefully head into Tescos with no one recognizing her.

However, those incognito days may be well behind her now as she donned the likes of Valentino and Fendi to the global premieres for The Crown.

So far, the actress has managed to keep much of her private life out of the public eye but is believed to be dating filmmaker and acrobat Connor Dutton.