Matt Smith On The Royals Reactions To The Crown

Matt Smith spilled alllll the tea on what various members of the royal family thought of his portrayal of Prince Phillip in the early seasons of The Crown.

Speaking on the Today show, Matt began by talking about his first pre-Crown royal interaction with Charles. “I met the now-King Charles, told him that I thought he had fabulous shoes, which he told me he had for 30 years,” he recalled.

However, his role as Prince Phillip got him one apparent fan: Prince Harry. “I met Harry once at the polo, which sounds a bit grand, but it wasn’t that grand,” Matt continued, explaining how Harry cam up to him and shook his hand. “He walked up to me and went, ‘Granddad.’”

“He watched the show,” Matt added. “I can’t claim to know if he watches it currently, but he watched a bit of it then.”

As for the big cheese, he added, “I heard the Queen had watched it, and she used to watch it on a projector on a Sunday night, apparently — and I know Philip definitely didn’t.”

The intel on Philip came from a friend who attended a dinner with the royal. “By the end of the meal he was like, ‘Philip I have to ask, have you watched The Crown?” Matt explained. “Apparently, he turned round to him and went, ‘Don’t be ridiculous.'”