Prince Harry's 'Grandad' Moment: Actor Matt Smith of 'The Crown' Once Met Prince Harry at a Polo Match
Matt Smith of 'The Crown," who played the late Prince Philip, once met Prince Harry at a polo match.
British actor Matt Smith met Prince Harry at a polo match a few years ago, and the encounter turned out to be both awkward and hilarious at the same time. The House of the Dragon star played Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, in the first two seasons of Netflix's The Crown, which made him a fictional version of Harry's grandfather.
"He was like, 'Alright grandad? I was like, ‘Alright mate?'" the Emmy-nominated performer told the BBC.
The Duke of Sussex admitted to watching the historical drama, which explored the epic reign of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, from her wedding to Philip in 1947, to her accession to the throne in 1952, before ending in 2005. The fiery-haired prince told Stephen Colbert in 2023 that he watched "the older stuff and the more recent stuff."
Earlier in 2021, the fifth in line to the throne told James Corden: "They [The Crown creators] don’t pretend to be news — it’s fictional, but it’s loosely based on the truth. It gives you a rough idea about what the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else — what can come from that."
"I'm way more comfortable with The Crown than I am seeing the stories written about my family or my wife or myself," he added. "That is obviously fiction — take it how you will — but this is being reported on as fact because it’s supposedly news. I have a real issue with that."
In later seasons of the series, Harry's mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, was portrayed by both Emma Corrin and Elizabeth Debicki. Creator Peter Morgan didn't hold back when it came to exploring the bitter marriage between Diana and Prince Charles and showing he turmoil she experienced from the press.
"There are no ill feelings towards the show’s creators or Netflix," an insider added when allegedly quoting the fiery-haired princes' reaction to season six.
This news comes after years of the Duke sharing how his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales' tragic demise at the age of 36 on August 31, 1997, greatly affected him. Harry was only 12 years old when the Princess of Wales passed away, which he recently said brought on his struggles with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
"Losing my mum at such a young age, the trauma I had I was never aware of," the Duke of Sussex shared in the 2023 documentary Heart of Invictus. "It was never discussed, and I didn't really talk about it, and I suppressed it like most other youngsters would have done. When it all came fizzing out, I was bouncing off the walls — what is going on here? — I am now feeling everything instead of being young."
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The New York Post reported on Smith's comments.
