Long may she reign!
The Crown star Olivia Colman was, well, crowned the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the 2021 Emmy Awards on Sunday night, with the surprised winner delivering a short but very emotional speech from London, where the cast and crew of the hit Netflix drama were gathered.
"Thank you very much, I'd have put money on that not happening," Colman, 47, began. "I don't know what to say. This is amazing."
The Oscar winner played Queen Elizabeth II in seasons three and four of the series, taking over for fellow Emmy winner Claire Foy. (For The Crown's fifth and sixth seasons, Imelda Staunton will portray the Queen.)
"What a lovely end to the most extraordinary journey with this lovely family," Colman said. "I loved every second of it and I can't wait to see what happens next."
Getting emotional, Colman then wrapped up her speech by acknowledging the devastating loss of her father.
"I'm going to be very quick because I'm very teary," she said. "I wish my dad was here to see this. I lost my daddy during COVID and he would've loved all of this."
Then, in true Colman fashion, her parting line was censored, with The Favourite actress saying, "Michaela Coel, f--k yeah!"
Colman faced major competition, beating out Uzo Aduba (In Treatment), Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid's Tale), Mj Rodriguez (Pose), Jurnee Smollett (Lovecraft Country) and her co-star Emma Corin, who portrayed Princess Diana, to take home the Emmy.
The Crown was one of the night's biggest winners, with Josh O'Connor winning Lead Actor in a Drama, Tobias Menzies taking home the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor and Gillian Anderson netting Outstanding Supporting Actress. Royal family, indeed.