Yahoo News The Crown's Matt Smith Makes A Surprising Claim About The Queen's Feelings Towards The Show
Matt Smith (Photo: NBC via Getty Images)
Since the first season of The Crown debuted on Netflix in 2016, viewers have long suspected how the Royal Family might feel about the show’s fictional version of their lives.
Well, it seems cast member Matt Smith might have some insight.
In a new interview with the Today show in the US, the House Of The Dragon actor claimed that not only had Queen Elizabeth II seen the Crown, she was actually a regularly viewer.
“I heard the Queen had watched it, and she used to watch it on a projector on a Sunday night apparently,” he said.
However, it seems that Prince Philip – who Matt played in the first two seasons of the award-winning drama – was less enthused.
The former Doctor Who star added: “Philip definitely didn’t. A friend of mine sat next to him at a dinner once and he asked him.
“Apparently he turned round to him and said, ‘don’t be ridiculous’.”
Claire Foy and Matt Smith in The Crown (Photo: Robert Viglasky/Netflix/Kobal/Shutterstock)
Matt co-starred opposite Claire Foy in the first two seasons of The Crown, bagging an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of the late Duke of Edinburgh as a young man.
Following The Queen’s death last week, The Crown has re-entered Netflix’s list of most-watched shows and films.
The Crown stars Claire Foy and Olivia Colman have both paid their respects to the monarch in the past few days.
Matt also told Today that he hopes to return to the UK this weekend for the Queen’s funeral, stating: “I think it’s a piece of history. I think I just want to be in London. I want to experience it, I want to share in the ceremony of it really.”
Actor Matt Smith, who famously played Prince Philip in the Netflix series “The Crown,” talks about his real-life interactions with members of the royal family.
He also opens up about his most-recent role as Daemon Targaryen on #HouseOfTheDragonpic.twitter.com/U10MJArXL5— TODAY (@TODAYshow) September 15, 2022
The fifth season of the award-winning show is set to debut on Netflix later this year, with Imelda Staunton set to succeed Olivia Colman in the role of Queen Elizabeth.
Production on series six is currently underway, although filming was briefly suspended last week as a mark of respect to the Queen.
“The Crown is a love letter to her and I’ve nothing to add for now, just silence and respect,” The Crown creator Peter Morgan said, later confirming that production would also be paused on Monday when the Queen is laid to rest.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost UK and has been updated.
