The new face of Prince Philip
ACTOR Tobias Menzies is to join the cast of royal drama The Crown as Prince Philip.
The former Game Of Thrones star will take over the role from Matt Smith for season three, Netflix has announced.
Olivia Colman was previously named as replacement for Claire Foy as the Queen.
London-born Menzies, 44, played Edmure Tully in Game Of Thrones and is also known for his Golden Globenominated performance in time-travel drama Outlander.
Other casting is yet to be announced but Helena Bonham Carter has been tipped to take over the role of Princess Margaret.
Feelings
Speaking about his decision to recast the royal roles as the characters get older, series creator Peter Morgan said: “You can’t ask someone to act middle-aged.
“Someone has to bring their own fatigue to it.
“The feelings we all have as 50-year-olds are different from the feelings we all have as 30-year-olds.”
The Crown was hit by bad publicity over its gender pay gap when it was revealed Smith was paid more than Foy, who won a Golden Globe for her performance.
Production company Left Bank Pictures apologised to both stars and said they were not aware of how much each was being paid.
Menzies was the groom at Game of Thrones’ infamous Red Wedding. Other roles include an appearance in Bond film Casino Royale.