Antony Armstrong-Jones (Matthew Goode) prepares to photograph Princess Margaret (Vanessa Kirby) credit: Alex Bailey/Netflix

The drama is expected to delve into his affairs both before and after his marriage to the princess in 1960. One such liaison resulted in the birth of an illegitimate child while he was on honeymoon aboard the Royal yacht Britannia.

There were also rumours that the society photographer was bisexual. He told his biographer: “I didn’t fall in love with boys - but a few men have been in love with me.”

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh (Claire Foy and Matt Smith) share a relaxed moment while she is pregnant with Prince Andrew credit: Alex Bailey/Netflix

Snowdon will be played by Matthew Goode, a familiar face from Downton Abbey and the film adaptation of Brideshead Revisited. Vanessa Kirby continues in the role of Princess Margaret.

The series will show the princess falling in love after meeting Snowdon at a dinner party in 1958. A few weeks later he took her portrait and she began making surreptitious visits to his Pimlico studio.

Princess Margaret (Vanessa Kirby) makes a secret visit to Snowdon's Pimlico studio credit: Alex Bailey/Netflix

Snowdon was the first commoner in four centuries to marry a British monarch’s daughter. Less happily, they became the first royal couple to divorce since Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves.

His lack of aristocratic pedigree cause a stir at court. The Duke of Gloucester was said to have greeted Harold Macmillan, then prime minister, at Balmoral with the line: “There’s a fellow called Jones in the library who wants to marry my niece.”

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Peter Morgan, writer of The Crown, said: “Tony is everything the palace isn’t: seductive, dangerous, risque - remarkably modern and progressive.

“He’s a source of great happiness for Margaret, tired of the buttoned-down conservatism of palace life, but he hides dark secrets. He brings a new flavour and rhythm to proceedings.”

The truth about Snowdon’s secret daughter remained hidden for decades. He and Princess Margaret were friends with Jeremy Fry, descendant of the Fry’s chocolate company founder, and his wife Camilla, regularly visiting their manor house in Somerset.

His affair with Camilla resulted in the birth of Polly, who confirmed her true parentage with a DNA test in 2004.

The Queen (Claire Foy) formally makes the Duke of Edinburgh (Matt Smith) a prince in 1957 credit: Robert Viglasky/Netflix

The Crown returns on December 8. According to Morgan, it bears witness “to the end of the age of deference” and finishes in 1963 with the downfall of Macmillan.

The second series covers the advent of the Swinging Sixties, when Snowdon and the princess were part of a hedonistic social scene.

The second series will continue to follow the marriage of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh credit: Des Willie

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh inhabited a different world and the drama will show milestones in their lives, from 1957 when the Queen formally made him a prince to the birth of Prince Andrew in 1960. They will be played once again by Claire Foy, who won a Golden Globe for her performance in the first series, and Matt Smith.

Morgan said: “We’re confronted with a rapidly changing Britain in this season, moving from the flickering embers of Britain’s dying empire in 1956 - in the aftermath of the disastrous Suez war - through the premiership of a new Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, and culminating in his resignation in late 1963.

The royal couple return from a world tour with their private secretary, Sir Michael Adeane credit: Stuart Hendry/Netflix

"These are vital, fascinating years - a period where Britain rejected a certain type of paternalistic leadership. The changes during these years will make for some uncomfortable adjustments in the years to come for the Royal family.”

:: Series 2 of the crown will debut on Friday, December 8