Matt Smith

THE ACTOR WHO PLAYS PRINCE PHILIP, DUKE OF EDINBURGH, ON THE classy Netflix hit The Crown, describes his character as “one of life’s great outsiders.” Viewers of the show, as well as British subjects, have often been less kind, calling the husband of Queen Elizabeth II arrogant, petulant, even racist. Let’s put it this way: Philip is not an easy person to like, let alone love. Matt Smith, who was the youngest actor to play Dr. Who (2010 to 2014), is not a “royalist” per se (“I don’t sit at home watching reruns of Will and Kate’s marriage”), but after playing the part, he has developed “a deep appreciation of the royal family.”

In the first season of The Crown, Smith’s prince is a dashing if truculent young man who resents giving up his naval career to play a supporting role to his wife. By Season 2, he’s cheating on Elizabeth (Claire Foy) on a royal tour. “Perhaps it’s uncomfortable for people to watch,” says Smith, who will be replaced by an older actor for Season 3, “but it’s not like we’re being salacious or gratuitous with the facts.” And he needn’t worry about offending Philip. When asked if he watched the show, the still-feisty 96-year-old glowered and replied, “Don’t. Be. Ridiculous.”

What were your impressions of Philip before playing the part?

I was always drawn to his maleness, the alpha side of him. In current society, we’re celebrating that kind of maleness less and less— the sense of male pride and responsibility, which are qualities I admire and recognize in my dad. hilip found life dif cult because that side of him was curtailed. I really empathized with that. As a man, I’d nd it dif cult to kneel to my wife. I’d nd it dif cult if my wife sent me away for e months for royal duty. This power was swept away from beneath him, and as a man, that’s a dif cult place to be in, especially in the 1950s and ’60s.

What do you mean by society isn’t “celebrating that kind of maleness”?

Look, rightly so. A character like Queen Elizabeth, we celebrate that she is at the forefront of style, her career and is in a position of power. That’s a wonderful thing. And maybe it’s because the balance has been tipped too long in the male fa or.

And I’m not saying: “Be a chau inistic pillock. That’s not what I mean. I mean, celebrate the qualities that a lion has. Why can’t we admire Philip for that? I think he’s chastised quite a lot. When you spend a couple years researching and understanding someone, you can’t help but become quite fond of them and weirdly protecti e.

“I was always drawn to [Philip’s] alpha side. We’re celebrating that kind of maleness less and less.”