With the third season dropping onto our Netflix dashboards soon, taking Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and Princess Margaret through the 60s and into the 70s, it’s tempting to wonder: just what do the royals, specifically the Queen and her husband, think of Peter Morgan turning their public and private lives into a lavish drama streamed by millions of people around the world?
In an interview with the Observer, Matt Smith, the actor who played Philip in The Crown’s first and second season, gave a hint as to just what his real-life counterpart might think of the show. While Smith has yet to meet the Duke of Edinburgh, he re-told an anecdote by ‘a man of prominence in the film world,’ who was placed next to Philip at a select dinner gathering at Buckingham Palace. ‘What do you do?’ the Prince reportedly asked. ‘Are you involved in this… Crown thing?’
Matt’s source later plucked up the courage to ask the Duke, ‘Philip, I’m just wondering, because I have some friends who made The Crown, have you watched any?’ His response? To stop and ‘glower,’ exclaiming ‘Don’t. Be. Ridiculous,’ according to the Observer piece.
‘Whether it’s true or not, I don’t know, but I just think he’s a bit of a cool cat,’ Smith continued. ‘And that’s what I love about him: he’s done what he wants, when he wants, how he wants, with whom he wants. And his wife’s the Queen.’ Matt Smith bowed out at the end of the second series, and has been replaced by Tobias Menzies, who will also appear in series four.
While The Crown might be yet to win over one of its principal players, it seems the Queen looks upon the show a little more kindly. Earlier this year, a royal source hinted that her son Prince Edward and his wife Sophie had introduced the monarch to the Netflix series, telling the Express: ‘Edward and Sophie love The Crown. It has been a longstanding arrangement that they drive to Windsor at the weekend to join the Queen for an informal supper while watching TV or a film. They have a Netflix account and urged her to watch it with them.’
‘Happily, she really liked it, although obviously there were some depictions of events that she found too heavily dramatized.’
NOW READ: 50 Vintage Photos Of Queen Elizabeth II And Prince Philip To Celebrate Their 70th Wedding Anniversary
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip - Grazia
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Waving from Buckingham Palace, July 1947
prince philip elizabeth engagement announcement
The couple officially announce their engagement at Buckingham Palace, July 1947
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After the engagement announcement, November 1947
prince philip elizabeth engagement announcement
Elizabeth and Philip after announcing their engagement, July 1947
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Princess Elizabeth poses with her family and fiancé ahead of her marriage, 1947
prince philip elizabeth engagement announcement
Photographed at Buckingham Palace shortly before their wedding, 1947
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Arriving at the Royal Variety Performance, November 1947
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Arriving at the Armistice Day service, November 1947
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The couple were married at Westminster Abbey on 20th November 1947
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Posing for official photos at the Palace after their wedding, November 1947
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Waving from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the wedding, November 1947
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Honeymooning at Broadlands House, home to Philip's Uncle, November 1947
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Playing with a corgi while on honeymoon, November 1947
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Admiring wedding photos while honeymooning, November 1947
queen prince philip honeymoon
Enjoying a walk on their honeymoon at Broadlands House in Hampshire, November 1947
queen prince philip honeymoon
Arriving in Malta (where Philip was stationed with the Royal Navy) for the second part of their honeymoon, 1947
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Attending a charity ball at the Dorchester Hotel, 1948
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On board the 'Pamir,' March 1948
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Prince Philip receives the Freedom of the City of London, 1948
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Visiting the Arc de Triomphe, May 1948
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Attending the Royal Horse Show at Windsor, May 1949
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Arriving at the wedding of the Earl of Harewood and Marion Stein, 1949
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Posing with newborn Charles, July 1949
Princess Anne christening
After Princess Anne's christening, 1950
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Walking in the grounds of Clarence House, August 1951
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A family portrait session with the young Prince Charles and Princess Anne at Clarence House, 1951
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A photoshoot with the family, August 1951
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Visiting the Festival of Britain, 1951
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Royal tour of Quebec, 1951
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Enjoying a barn dance in Ottowa, 1951
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Photographed outside Balmoral, September 1952
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A candid shot with Princess Anne and Prince Charles, 1951
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Photographed with the children at Balmoral, September 1952
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Leaving Westminster Abbey in an ornate carriage following Elizabeth's coronation, June 1953
Queen Elizabeth Prince Philip coronation
Waving to the crowds from the balcony of Buckingham Palace following Elizabeth's coronation, June 1953
Queen Elizabeth Prince Philip
Elizabeth poses for official photos with Philip following her coronation
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Visiting Northern Ireland on the Coronation Tour, 1953
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Photographing the arrival of an escort ship while en route to Fiji during the Coronation Tour, 1953
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Visiting Bermuda, November 1953
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Overseeing the children and two ponies in the grounds of Balmoral, August 1955
queen philip balmoral
Playing with corgis in the grounds of Balmoral, August 1955
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A trip to Nigeria, 1956
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Posing for photographs at Buckingham Palace, December 1958
official royal portrait 1958
Posing for photographs at Buckingham Palace, December 1958
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The Queen and Prince Philip with corgis at Windsor Castle, 1959
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John and Jackie Kennedy visit Buckingham Palace, 1960
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John and Jackie Kennedy visit Buckingham Palace, 1960
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Leaving Manchester by train, May 1961
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Presenting Bobby Moore with the World Cup trophy, 1966
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Flying back from Yorkshire, filmed for a BBC and ITV documentary
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