Vanessa Kirby: Playing Princess Margaret would be daunting now PA 3 January 2021, 8:09 pm Vanessa Kirby says she would feel “daunted” if she was still playing Princess Margaret in The Crown. The actress, 32, played the royal in Netflix big budget drama until 2017 and her role is now played by Helena Bonham Carter. Kirby told The Sunday Times Culture magazine that she took up the part with little knowledge about her alter-ego. “I didn’t know anything about Princess Margaret,” she said. “And from the 1950s all you could find were little clips of her opening things, like boats. "It's been a perfect part for my time of life"Helena Bonham Carter on playing Princess Margaret in The Crown. pic.twitter.com/OnbwRfwjmf