The Crown's Matt Smith Reveals That Prince Philip Is 'The Most Popular' of All the Royals with the Staff

Matt Smith, who played Prince Philip on The Crown, apparently has some inside dirt on the royal family…the staff likes Prince Philip best of all the royals!

While speaking with Variety about playing Prince Philip, Matt 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.”

Matt continued, “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.”

Prince Philip is the husband of Queen Elizabeth, and father of Prince Charles.