The Princess Royal accompanied Queen Elizabeth's coffin as it made the trip south from Edinburgh to London, arriving at Buckingham Palace. Video / AP
Queen Elizabeth was reportedly quite fond of Netflix's The Crown.
Matt Smith has revealed an insider piece of information claiming the late Queen Elizabeth used to watch The Crown on a projector.
Appearing on the Today show the 39-year-old actor - who played Her Majesty's husband Prince Philip for the show's first two seasons - 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.
The star said the piece of information came from the Queen's grandson Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex.
"I met the now-King Charles, I told him that he had fabulous shoes ... and then I met Harry once at the Polo," he said.
Matt Smith has revealed an insider piece of information. Photo / Netflix
"He walked up to me and he went, "Grandad", because he watched the show. I heard the Queen had watched it, yeah, and she used to watch it on a projector on a Sunday night, apparently."
Smith shared that despite the Queen's reported fondness for the show, his character the Duke of Edinburgh - who died aged 99 in April 2021 - was not such a fan of the Peter Morgan-created period drama.
He 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.'"
Claire Foy and Matt Smith in The Crown. Photo / Netflix
The House of Dragon star's anecdotes come after the death of the Queen last week, which has prompted a period of national mourning in the UK and a wave of tributes from all corners of the globe.
Claire Foy - who snagged both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for playing the monarch who reigned for more than 70 years opposite Smith - was one of them, admitting she was "honoured" to play the Queen.
She 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."
