Queen Elizabeth Watched ‘The Crown’ but Prince Philip Refused, Says Actor Matt Smith
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip had very different opinions about The Crown. According to actor Matt Smith, Her Majesty was a fan of the Netflix show, but the Duke of Edinburgh refused to watch. Here’s what Smith said about the royal couple’s reaction to the TV series about their lives.
‘The Crown’ season 5 brought new faces, including a new actor to portray Prince Philip
Netflix released season 5 of The Crown on Nov. 9, two years after season 4 premiered in November 2020.
As the show did in season 3, new actors portrayed the main characters to reflect the passage of time. Olivia Colman, who replaced Claire Foy, handed the role of Queen Elizabeth II to Imelda Staunton. Staunton is known for playing Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter films.
Jonathan Pryce took the role of Prince Philip, previously played by Tobias Menzies and Matt Smith. Lesley Manville replaces Helena Bonham Carter (another Harry Potter star) as Princess Margaret. And Trainspotting star Jonny Lee Miller (who was once married to Angelina Jolie) plays Prime Minister John Major.
Much of season 5 revolves around the relationship between Prince Charles and Princess Diana, played by Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki. Olivia Williams took on the role of Camilla Parker-Bowles.
‘The Crown’ actor Matt Smith says Queen Elizabeth watched the show, but Prince Philip ‘definitely didn’t’
Matt Smith, who played a young Prince Philip in seasons 1 and 2 of The Crown, had some insight into whether Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh actually watched the Netflix show based on their lives.
“I heard the queen had watched it,” Smith said during an appearance on the Today show (via Us Weekly). “And she used to watch it on a projector on a Sunday night apparently.”
But the queen’s husband reportedly refused to watch the series. “I know that Philip definitely didn’t,” Smith said. “My friend sat next to him at [a] dinner and asked… [My friend said,] ‘I can’t resist. Have you watched The Crown?’ [Philip] turned around and said, ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’”
Matt Smith thinks the Duke of Edinburgh was a ‘cool cat’
The actor took no offense to Prince Philip refusing to watch The Crown, as Matt Smith exploded into laughter telling the story. He said reactions like that are precisely what the actor “loves” about the royal he portrayed.
“Whether it’s true or not, I don’t know, but I just think he’s a bit of a cool cat,” Smith told The Guardian in 2017. “And that’s what I love about him: he’s done what he wants, when he wants, how he wants, with whom he wants. He hasn’t asked permission. And his wife’s the Queen.”
