It is a show that delves into the most personal aspects of his marriage and private life, but it appears Prince Philip has very little interest in watching The Crown.
The Duke of Edinburgh reportedly told a dinner party guest, ‘don’t be ridiculous’ when he asked the royal whether he had ever watched the hit Netflix show.
Speaking to The Observer, actor Matt Smith, who plays Philip in the series, recalled how a friend of his had attended an event hosted by the Queen and Prince Philip and received the typically feisty response when he worked up the courage to ask.
Prince Philip referred to The Crown as the ‘Crown thing’ and said it was ‘ridiculous’ to suggest that he’d watched it after he was questioned by a guest at a dinner party
Matt Smith plays the Duke of Edinburgh in the Netflix series, and called the royal a ‘cool cat’. He revealed it was his friend who had asked Philip about whether he had watched the show
According to Smith, Philip also refers to the drama as the ‘Crown thing’.
Smith said a friend of his in the film industry had been dining with the royal couple when Philip brought up the matter of The Crown, asking: ‘Are you involved in this… Crown thing?’
The friend, who was not named, explained that he wasn’t but could not resist asking the duke about his views on the show later in the evening.
Smith explained that his friend asked Philip if he or the Queen had seen it, prompting the royal to ‘glower’ and respond: ‘Don’t. Be. Ridiculous.’
But the actor, who will stand down as the Duke of Edinburgh after the second season, appeared undeterred by the dismissal and said he still admires the duke.
The series delves into the intimate details of the royal couple’s private life. Pictured Matt Smith and Claire Foy as the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen in The Crown
The new season is already causing controversy by reigniting rumours of Prince Philip’s supposed roving eye
He added: ‘Whether it’s true or not, I don’t know, but I just think he’s a bit of a cool cat.’
While The Crown has been showered with critical praise, it has also stirred up much controversy, by reigniting rumours of Prince Philip’s supposed roving eye.
The trailer for the new season sees the Queen say: ‘I have learnt more about humiliation in the past few weeks than I hoped I would in a lifetime,’ and according to the show’s creator, Peter Morgan, season two features ‘a lot more’ of the suggestion that her husband was sometimes distracted.
The Queen and Prince Philip are seen posing in a new set of three photos released by Buckingham Palace to mark their 70th wedding anniversary
Certainly it does nothing to dispel the reputation of the Prince as a seasoned flirt – with Jodi Balfour’s Jackie Kennedy playing a pivotal, and receptive, role.
‘The Queen and Jackie don’t get off to a good start in the series because of Philip,’ Balfour told Event magazine.
‘The Prince is just a flirt [with her] and I don’t think there’s any intention behind it, but he’s going through a phase of liking a lot of women, as is [her husband] JFK.’
The series returns to Netflix on December 8.