As fans of the show will no doubt be aware, series two of The Crown concluded in 1964, after the birth of the Queen’s fourth and final child Prince Edward.

The third series will pick up in the Seventies, and is expected to continue exploring the relationship between the Queen and Prince Philip, as well as giving her children more prominent roles – but, of course, this leap forward in time means that we have to bid a royal ‘adieu’ to Claire Foy and Matt Smith.

Olivia Colman, as we previously reported, will be stepping into Foy’s queenly shoes for the third season of the critically-acclaimed show.

“I’m so thrilled to be part of The Crown,” said Colman. “I was utterly gripped watching it, a proper ‘just one more’ feeling.”

Paying homage to her predecessor, she continued: “I think Claire Foy is an absolute genius. She’s an incredibly hard act to follow. I’m basically going to rewatch every episode and copy her!”

And now, at long last, fans have been offered their first snap of Colman in her royal costume.

Read more: The full cast of Netflix’s The Crown Season 3 is royally, royally good

Simply captioned with the word ‘patience’, the image sees Colman in a pink woollen two-piece suit, her hair coiffed and styled to look like Her Majesty’s iconic ‘do.

In her hand, she clasps a bone-china teacup as she looks up from her breakfast (and morning papers). It remains unclear as to what she’s looking at, although the expression on her face indicates that one is not amused.

Check it out:

The image has gone down a treat on social media, receiving almost 1,000 retweets in the space of a few hours. And it’s safe to say that it’s gotten fans incredibly excited about the next instalment of Netflix’s hit show.

“I loved, loved, loved Claire Foy’s portrayal but I am also excited for Olivia Colman’s turn,” wrote one fan. “She looks so amazing here!”

Another admitted: “I’m screaming.”

“OH MY GOD LOOK AT HER!” added another.

And still one more said: “This is already iconic.”

The question on everyone’s lips, though, was a simple “when is this coming to Netflix?”

Unfortunately, the simple answer is: not any time soon. As production was delayed due to the re-shuffling of the cast, it appears unlikely that we will see the new episodes before 2019 – hence the “patience” reference.

The good news, however, is that series three and four are being shot back-to-back, so it’s unlikely that we’ll have such a long wait before the subsequent series arrives.

And there’s a lot to look forward to: speaking at the BFI & Radio Times Television Festival 2017, producer Suzanne Mackie said that the new season would also see the introduction of Charles’ second wife Camilla Parker-Bowles.

It should also cover the decolonisation of Africa and the Caribbean, the birth of Prince Edward (March 1964), and Prince Charles’ movement into the public eye following his coronation as the Prince of Wales in 1969.

You can find out everything we know about the upcoming series, including who will be starring alongside Colman, here.

Image: Netflix