The young royals including its newest member, Duchess Meghan, often dominate the news and we love seeing what they get up to. But when it comes to the palace staff, it’s Prince Philip who’s number one in their eyes.
In an interview with US entertainment magazine and website Variety, actor Matt Smith, who plays the Duke of Edinburgh in the hit series, The Crown, says that there is a misconception about the Queen’s husband and he actually has a lot going for him.
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Matt Smith as Prince Philip in season two of The Crown.
The actor said, “One of the interesting challenges for me was that I felt there was a sort of a misconception and a preconception about him, which reduced him a bit.”
“And actually all the research I did found him to be brilliantly funny, very clever, very popular. In the royal house he’s the most popular of all of them. If you’ve talked to any of the staff, Philip’s the one they all love really. I think more than a lot of them, he’s a bit more of a man of the people.”
“The royal protocol hasn’t dogged him in quite the same way his whole life and there’s a sort of rebellion in him and a naughtiness and a cheekiness. I think he’s quite affable and open by all accounts with the staff. They all love him.”
READ MORE: Everything we know about The Crown season three.
Prince Philip, who retired from royal duties in 2017, is remarkably spritely for a 97 year-old. Despite undergoing hip surgery in April, the Duke still attended Harry and Meghan’s wedding in May and was spotted driving a carriage around the grounds at Windsor Castle.
WATCH: Prince Philip performs his final royal solo engagement.
He may be funny, clever and popular but at the upcoming wedding of his granddaughter, Princess Eugenie, fireworks are set to happen when Prince Philip is reunited with former daughter-in-law, Sarah Ferguson.
Though she’s been welcomed back into the fold over the years, reports close to the royals say that Sarah Ferguson is still embroiled in a feud with the Duke of Edinburgh, so much so that they even timed their recent visits to Balmoral to ensure there was no overlap.
“Her Majesty often has the Duchess for a few days at Balmoral early in her annual summer holiday there, but Prince Philip does not like being in the same building as her. He just can’t bring himself to forgive her for some of the outrageous things she has done,” a source explained to The Mail on Sunday.
Stay tuned for the next royal wedding…
