Matt Smith Says Queen Elizabeth II Used To Watch The Crown On A Projector

Matt Smith says Queen Elizabeth II watched The Crown on a projector.

Smith, who played Her Majesty’s husband Prince Philip on the first two seasons of The Crown, revealed that the late 96-year-old monarch was a big fan of the fictionalised version of her life and made it a part of her weekend ritual. 

While appearing on the Today show on Thursday (Sept 15), Smith said: I met the now-King Charles, I told him that he had fabulous shoes … and then I met Harry once at the Polo.

“He walked up to me and he went, ‘Grand-dad,’ because he watched the show,” he added. “I heard the Queen had watched it, yeah, and she used to watch it on a projector on a Sunday night, apparently.”

While the Queen was a fan of the Peter Morgan-created period drama, her husband, the Duke of Edinburg — who died aged 99 in April 2021 — wasn't.

The House of the Dragon star said: “A friend of mine sat next to him at [a] dinner once and he asked him. Actually, I think Philip asked my friend if he made The Crown.

“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 [Philip] apparently turned around to him [and said], ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’”

Smith's anecdotes come after the death of the Queen last week which has prompted a period of national mourning in the UK and waves of tributes from all corners of the globe.

Among them was Claire Foy, Smith's The Crown co-star who won both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for playing the monarch. 

Speaking to the BBC at the Toronto International Film Festival, Foy said, "I think that she was an incredible monarch. She united people and she was a massive symbol of continuity and dignity and grace

"My main feeling is just thinking about her as a mother and a grandmother and a great-grandmother, really, and I'm very honoured to have been a teeny tiny, small part of her story."

Netflix recently paused the production on the sixth season of The Crown after the Queen died "as a mark of respect".

The upcoming season will feature Harry Potter alum Imelda Staunton as the late Queen, taking over for Foy and Olivia Colman, who portrayed her in previous seasons. — BANG SHOWBIZ