PHILIPING HECK
The Crown’s Matt Smith reveals surprising nickname Prince Harry called him after he played Philip on the Netflix show
The actor also revealed whether Prince Harry used to watch The Crown
THE Crown actor Matt Smith revealed that Prince Harry has a very surprising nickname for him after he starred as Prince Philip in the show.
Matt played Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, in the first two seasons of the popular Netflix show.
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And it turns out that when he bumped into Prince Harry at a polo match, the Duke of Sussex didn’t hold back.
Speaking to Matt said: “He was like ‘alright grandad? I was like ‘alright mate?’”
He also gushed about getting the chance to play Prince Philip and shared: “I told my grandad I got the part and he went ‘bloody hell you aren’t playing that berk’.
“My grandad couldn’t bear him.
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“He wasn’t very into the royal family.
“But I just loved him.
“All of the research I did I thought what an extraordinary, forward-thinking, deeply funny, irascible, brilliant man he was.”
The actor also claimed that Harry used to watch The Crown.
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In a chat with , he said: “I can’t claim to know if he watches ('The Crown') currently, but he watched a bit of it then.
“I heard the Queen had watched it, and she used to watch it on a projector on Sunday night, apparently.”
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However, Prince Philip wasn’t a fan of the royal family-inspired show, according to Matt.
He added: “A friend of mine sat next to (Philip) at a dinner once … and my friend couldn’t resist by the end of the meal.
“He was like, ‘Philip, I have to ask, have you watched The Crown?’
“And apparently (Philip) turned around to him and said, ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’”
All of the research I did I thought what an extraordinary, forward-thinking, deeply funny, irascible, brilliant man he was
Matt Smith
Matt, who was nominated for an Emmy due to his portrayal of Prince Philip, also revealed a heartwarming encounter with another royal family member.
He shared how he once met King Charles and complimented him on his footwear.
Matt said: “I told him that I thought he had fabulous shoes, which he told me he’d had for 30 years.
“They were red, they were like red brogues. They were beautiful.”
Matt shot to fame aged 26 when he was cast as the Eleventh Doctor in BBC's iconic science-fiction adventure series Doctor Who.
Who played Prince Philip on The Crown?
- Seasons one and two: Matt Smith
- Seasons three and four: Tobias Menzies
- Seasons five and six: Sir Jonathan Pryce
The series aired its first season on November 4, 2016, and the final season came out on on November 16 and December 14, 2023.
There have been six seasons in total, each with 10 episodes each.
In total, there are 60 episodes of The Crown.
The hit show has a star-filled cast, including the likes of Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce and Dominic West.
After playing the late Prince Philip in The Crown, he then landed a starring role in the Game Of Thrones spin-off House Of The Dragon as Daemon Targaryen.
Last year, Matt was spotted enjoying a night out in London with US-based actress Lili Gattyan.
Matt counts models Daisy Lowe and Mayana Moura among his ex-flames.
He broke up with actress Lily James over four years ago but briefly rekindled their romance the following year.
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Lily said at the time: “You have to trust that things won’t go away if you stop for a bit. I haven’t really stopped, and I don’t think that’s a feasible way to work.
“That’s not only with regards to my relationship with Matt but with my friends and family.”
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