Matt Smith on why he's down with 96-year-old Prince Philip as The Crown returns
The Crown's Matt Smith has revealed he's a big fan of Prince Philip, as he spoke at the premiere for season two of the Netflix show.
Season two delves deeper into the character of Philip and the troubles he goes through but the 35-year-old former Doctor Who actor, who plays Philip in the hit drama, said: “I love him, I think he’s a rock star, I think he’s got great charisma, I think he’s bright and clever and with it.
“I’m down with Prince Philip. He’s 96 and he’s out there on the carriage still taking his mates for a spin, he’s a rock and roller.”
In season two of the show viewers will see the The Queen and Philip's relationship hit turbulent times.
Matt added: “It wasn’t an easy time for them but they came through it with grace and dignity and their love intact.”
The new Philip for later series has not been announced, but Broadchurch star Olivia Colman has been named as the successor to Claire Foy, who plays the young Queen.
Claire, 33, said she “can’t wait” to watch Olivia take over the role, adding: “I can’t wait to see what she does, I just think she’s the most extraordinary actress and human being.”
When Claire was asked what keeps the royal couple together, she said: “The fact they can’t get divorced … um, and the fact that they have a shared sense of humour and deep, deep love and respect for one another.
“I think the humour aspect for me is the thing that I’ve always understood as the reason why they are able to enjoy each other’s company and still love each other so much.”
The royal couple celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on Monday.
The platinum anniversary was marked by a new set of images of the pair, which show them happy and smiling.
Show creator and writer Peter Morgan said: “If you’re close to someone for that long you’re going to have ups and downs and I didn’t want the show to duck complicated relationships.”
He said he thought “genuine love” was the ingredient that had kept them together so long.
All 10 episodes of season two of The Crown will be available on Netflix on December 8th.
