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Find out what Prince Philip has to say about The Crown

What does Prince Philip think of The Crown?

Emmy Griffiths
TV & Film Editor
November 16, 2019
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We might all be huge fans ofThe Crown, but can you say the same about members of the royal family? While it has been reported that the Queen enjoys watching the series, according to one of her granddaughters, Matt Smith, who played Prince Philip in seasons one and two, revealed to the Guardian that the Prince himself has some opinions on the royal drama. According to the star, a friend of his was at a dinner at Buckingham Palace when he couldn't resist asking the Prince whether he had checked out the show.

prince philip crown© Photo: Getty Images

Prince Philip hasn't watched the show

According to Matt, his friend, "a man of prominence in the film world" was sat next to the Duke for the dinner, and the Prince asked him: "What do you do? Are you involved in this… Crown thing?" After he confirmed that he wasn't involved in the series, he reportedly asked Prince Philip: "Philip, I'm just wondering, because I have some friends who made The Crown, have you watched any?" to which the royal replied: "Don't be ridiculous." Matt added: "Whether it's true or not, I don't know, but I just think he's a bit of a cool cat."

READ: All the events that we can expect to see in The Crown season three

Matt has previously spoken to Prince William about playing his grandfather. Chatting about him on the Graham Norton Show, he said: "The lady who was doing the line-up said, 'And this is Matt and he's about to play…Prince Philip. Have you got any advice for him?' and I thought, 'Oh my god I'm going to die.' And all he said was, 'Legend. He's a legend.'" Matt has since passed the torch onto Tobias Menzies, who will be playing the Duke of Edinburgh in seasons three and four. Speaking about passing on the role, Matt said: "I think it's a brilliant bit of casting. I know Tobias quite well. And also, I've done it with Doctor Who where you hand over a part and I'm sort of fine with that. That's just not a problem for me. I'm just excited and I watch it as a fan."

READ: The Crown: Will they cover Princess Anne’s kidnap attempt? Find out exactly what happened

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