The Crown lead actress Claire Foy was paid less than her male co-star Matt Smith, producers of the show have confirmed.

Ms Foy - who won a Golden Globe for her performance - played young Queen Elizabeth II in the hit Netflix series, while Mr Smith played the Queen's husband Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

At the INTV Conference in Jerusalem yesterday, producers acknowledged that Mr Smith was paid more due to his Doctor Who fame, despite Ms Foy having the leading role in the historical drama.

However, they also pledged to rectify the pay gap for future seasons.

In comments quoted by Variety, executive producer Suzanne Mackie insisted: "Going forward, no one gets paid more than the Queen."

Variety has previously reported that Ms Foy's salary per episode was around $40,000 (€32,000).

It was also confirmed during the event in Jerusalem that each episode in the first two seasons of the drama cost around £5 million (€5.6 million).

As the story is set to jump forward several years between season 2 and the upcoming season 3 of The Crown, neither Ms Foy or Mr Smith will be returning.

Olivia Colman - best known for her roles in the likes of Peep Show and The Night Manager - is set to take over the lead role in the next season.

It has yet to be announced who will replace Matt Smith.

Executive producer Andy Harries told the INTV conference that the next season and the new cast "will be the test of whether the show really has the legs to survive".

Ms Foy, meanwhile, appears in the upcoming thriller Unsane, and will play the character of Lisbeth Salander (previously portrayed by Noomi Rapace and Rooney Mara) in The Girl in the Spider's Web.