Those behind The Crown, including actors Tobias Menzies and Matt Smith, have offered tributes to Prince Philip after his recent death. The Netflix drama documents the reign of Queen Elizabeth II and has been a massive success for the streamer. It addition to becoming a major part of the pop culture conversation, The Crown has earned numerous award nominations and wins throughout its run. The show also stands out for covering several decades in the lives of the Royal Family, beginning in the late 1940s. As such, several different actors have had a chance to star in The Crown, with the main characters switching performers every two seasons to allow for realistic aging.
Prince Philip falls under this category. He was played by Smith for seasons 1 and 2 opposite Claire Foy as the Queen. The Crown then cast Menzies and Olivia Colman in those same roles for seasons 3 and 4, the latter of which released in November 2020. Jonathan Pryce will be the next one to play Prince Philp in the The Crown, taking on the part for seasons 5 and 6. The newest season is expected to begin filming in July.
Prince Philip passed away on the morning of Friday, April 9, leading some of those involved with The Crown to offer their condolences. Per EW, Netflix offered the following statement:
Netflix, Left Bank Pictures, Sony Pictures Television, and the production team on The Crown are deeply saddened to hear of the death of The Duke of Edinburgh. Our thoughts are with the entire Royal Family at this sad time.
Menzies provided his response to Metro.co.uk, offering a quote from Shakespeare in lieu of too many of his own words:
If I know anything about the Duke of Edinburgh I’m fairly sure he wouldn’t want an actor who has portrayed him on television giving their opinion on his life, so I’ll leave it to Shakespeare – “O good old man! How well in thee appears the constant service of the antique world…” Rest in Peace.
Meanwhile, Smith spoke with Express.co.uk, saying in full:
I’d like to offer my condolences to Her Majesty the Queen and the Royal Family. Prince Philip was the man. And he knew it. 99 and out, but what an innings. And what style. Thank you for your service old chap - it won’t be the same without you.
With Prince Philip's passing occurring only recently, it's possible more tributes will come in from those associated with The Crown. Though Menzies notes he doesn't think the Duke would be very interested in his statement, it's still nice he and Smith took a moment to offer their condolences. The response from Netflix and the rest of The Crown's team is similarly thoughtful.
Though many actors have been given the opportunity to play real-life figures, The Crown takes it to another level. It's rare for multiple actors to have become associated with playing the same person in the same project the way it's happened for Menzies, Smith, and presumably Pryce. Each actor offered their own take on Prince Philip, allowing audiences to get to know a version of him a bit better. Though it's impossible to know the Royal Family's true feelings about The Crown, it's clear those involved with the series have great respect for its members.
Source: EW, Metro.co.uk, Express.co.uk