Matt Smith has spoken about whether The Queen would watch Netflix series The Crown and how she would watch it if she did.
The 39-year-old actor, who played Prince Philip in the first two seasons of the hit show, has revealed that Queen Elizabeth II would actually binge watch the series, which was based upon her life.
Matt, who has also starred as Doctor Who, opened up about the royal family and how they would watch, though he admitted that the Duke of Edinburgh was not a fan and didn't want to see his life story being portrayed on the screen.
Appearing on the Today show on Thursday, Matt said: "I heard the queen had watched it.
"And she used to watch it on a projector on a Sunday night apparently."
The Queen passed away last week, aged 96, after the Duke of Edinburgh died aged 99 in April 2021.
Matt continued: "I know that Philip definitely didn’t. My friend sat next to him at [a] dinner and asked. I think Philip asked my friend if he made The Crown. … [My friend said,] ‘I can’t resist. Have you watched The Crown?’ [Philip] turned around and said, ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’”
While the royal drama was not to Prince Philip's taste, it is believed that Prince Harry has watched several episodes of the show, which has rocketed back into the global top ten on Netflix since the Queen's death.
Speaking on The Late Late Show with James Corden in February last year, the Duke of Sussex said: "They don’t pretend to be news. It’s fictional.
"But it’s loosely based on the truth. Of course, it’s not strictly accurate. … It gives you a rough idea of what that lifestyle, what the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else, what can come from that.”
Harry then added: “I’m way more comfortable with The Crown than I am seeing the stories written about my family or my wife [ Meghan Markle ] or myself because it’s the difference between [The Crown] is obviously fiction, take it how you will, but this is being reported on as fact because you’re supposedly news. I have a real issue with that.”
Matt Smith also previously revealed that he met with Prince William before he started playing his late grandfather on screen, and was offered some tips so that he could better portray him.
When appearing on The Graham Norton Show, Matt said: “I met [William] very briefly in a lineup at the polo.
"The lady who was doing the lineup said, ‘This is Matt and he’s about to play Prince Philip.’ And then she said, ‘Have you got any advice for him?’”
Matt added: “And then I thought, ‘God, I’m going to die.’ All [William] said was, ‘Legend. He’s an absolute legend.’”
The Crown creator, Peter Morgan, told Deadline that the filming of season six has been paused following the death of the monarch.
In a statement, he said: "The Crown is a love letter to her and I’ve nothing to add for now, just silence and respect.
"I expect we will stop filming out of respect too.”
The sixth season sees Imelda Staunton take over as the long-reigning monarch following Claire Foy and Olivia Colman, who have both portrayed the Queen.
It is scheduled to be released on Netflix in November.
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