Claire Foy freestyles a hip-hop classic on Jimmy Fallon

The Crown star Claire Foy took on hip-hop royalty by performing a cover of the Sugarhill Gang’s 1979 classic Rapper’s Delight on a US chat show.

The British actress appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, to discuss her roles as Neil Armstrong’s wife in First Man and as vigilante Lisbeth Salander in The Girl In The Spider’s Web.

Foy – known for playing the Queen in Netflix’s series The Crown – was then handed a musical challenge by Fallon.

Fallon said he had heard a rumour on the internet Foy knew hip-hop classic Rapper’s Delight word-for-word, before handing her the microphone and playing the beat.

Laughing, Foy performed a cover of the song while the audience clapped along.

The track is often credited with bringing hip-hop to a wider audience.

Writing on Twitter, fans praised Foy’s musical skills.

One said: “omg her rapping skills are (fire emoji).”

Another tweeted: “Who knew Claire Foy singing Rapper’s Delight was just what I needed in my life.”

Foy, who was born in Stockport, Greater Manchester, will host long-running US sketch show Saturday Night Live this week.

An advert for the show featured Foy alongside Ariana Grande’s former fiance Pete Davidson, who is an SNL comedian.

After giving Foy a tour of the studio, Davidson told her it was time for, “an SNL tradition that we have to do with every host”.

The pair then engaged in a food fight.