Although Princess Elizabeth always knew she would become the queen of England, the status change came rather abruptly — in 1952, when she was just 25 and her father, George VI, died of lung cancer at age 56. Elizabeth was a wife (to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh) and mother to two young children, Charles, Prince of Wales, and Anne, Princess Royal. Never one for the spotlight, Elizabeth was looking forward to a quiet life in Malta, where her husband could join the Navy and fly the occasional plane, but when duty came calling, her personal life (and his, unhappily) took a back seat. “The Crown,” which debuts on Friday on Netflix, tells the story of her sacrifice in the name of public service. Considering the monarch still reigns, steadfast at age 90, that’s quite a track record, unmatched in British history.

Claire Foy, 32, and Matt Smith, 34, recently visited New York and spoke to The Post about what it was like to play the royal couple.

When you were asked to play the queen, what did you say?

Claire Foy: I asked them, “Are you sure?” It was a relatively pain-free, enjoyable experience. You would have thought with a big job you’d have to jump through all the hoops, that you should be put through the wringer, but the people [I worked with], they were really nice. It was always a joy to go on an audition for them. It was a joy to be in a room with [director] Stephen Daldry and have him tell me what to do.

Matt, how do you think your “Doctor Who” fans will react to seeing you in this stately, slightly peevish role?

Matt Smith: You never know, really. I hope they enjoy it.

CF: He’s amazing in it. They’ll love it.

On the show, Elizabeth and Philip compromise from the beginning, when Philip renounces his last name. And then Queen Mary (Eileen Atkins) writes a letter to Elizabeth after George VI’s death and explains that her life will be one of duty. What is her reaction?

CF: It’s like your grandparents saying to you, “Don’t disappoint me.” She’s got all that as well. Philip doesn’t know the pressure she’s under or what she’s got to do. She’s in the middle of him, the Cabinet and the Church of England.

She doesn’t question that much what she’s told to do, though.

CF: I think that’s because she’s very duty-bound. She’s grown up doing the right thing.

As a royal couple, how did the public react to them?

MS: Thousands of people would show up to watch them catch a train. Tens of thousands to see them go to the theater. They were the celebrities of their day. She’s lived through that massive sense of glamour and celebrity.

CF: They used to take the royal train. And now they take the public train.

And here’s what else to watch this week

Westworld

Sunday, 9 p.m., HBO

Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) and her human friends, William (Jimmi Simpson) and Logan (Ben Barnes), reach Pariah, a town built on decadence and transgression — and are recruited for a mission.

Paranormal Lockdown

Monday, 11 p.m., Destination America

Katrina Weidman and Nick Groff spend 100 hours in the Black Monk House in Yorkshire, England, the home of reported poltergeist activity. The intrepid duo aim to capture the most convincing evidence ever to be recorded.

American Housewife

Tuesday, 8:30 p.m., ABC

Can the crayon really add 10 pounds? When Anna-Kat (Julia Butters) draws a Humpty Dumpty-shaped portrait of her mother for the school art show, a mortified Katie (Katy Mixon) sets out to retrieve it by any means necessary.

Live! With Kelly

Monday, 9 a.m., ABC

Actor Jerry O’Connell joins Kelly Ripa for a jubilant Halloween celebration. Talk about costumes! As seen below left, O’Connell will appear as the gruesome villain Negan from “The Walking Dead” as well as one of the presidential candidates. The show will also include a tribute to the Broadway smash “Hamilton” and spoofs of Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” (with Ripa, below) and the popular HGTV show “House Hunters.”

This is Us

Tuesday, 9 p.m., NBC

Rebecca (Mandy Moore) and Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) wonder what to do when little Randall (Lonnie Chavis) tests as a gifted child. The grown-up Randall (Sterling K. Brown) questions his career choices.

TCM horror marathon

Monday, 6 a.m.-Tuesday, 4:30 a.m.

If you want a Halloween scare, Turner Classic Movies has a great lineup. Vincent Price (inset, with Phyllis Kirk) plays a sculptor who fills his museum with corpses in “House of Wax” (11:15 a.m.). “The Haunting” (6 p.m.) stars Julie Harris as a woman tormented by her mother’s ghost. In “The Mummy” (9:45 p.m.), a resurrected mummy stalks the archaeologists who raided his tomb.

Pitch

Thursday, 9 p.m., Fox

Upon signing a huge deal with Nike, Ginny (Kylie Bunbury) feels an overwhelming sense of pressure, which leads to a night of neurotic rebellion and a subsequent session with therapist Andrea Barton (Rita Wilson). Co-starring Meagan Holder and Mark-Paul Gosselaar.