‘Prince Philip was the man’: Matt Smith pays tribute to late royal he played on The Crown

Smith’s successor as Netflix hit’s Duke of Edinburgh, actor Tobias Menzies, also expressed his sympathies

Matt Smith, who portrayed Prince Philip on The Crown, has paid tribute to the late royal.

On Friday (9 April), Buckingham Palace announced in a statement that the 99-year-old Duke of Edinburgh had “passed away peacefully” at Windsor Castle.

Prince Philip had been portrayed in Netflix’s The Crown by Smith and, in his later years, by Tobias Menzies. Jonathan Pryce will play the royal in the show’s forthcoming final two seasons.

In a statement, Smith expressed his sorrow at Prince Philip’s death, while dubbing him “the man”.

“I’d like to offer my condolences to Her Majesty the Queen and the Royal Family,” Smith wrote. “Prince Philip was the man. And he knew it. 99 and out, but what an innings. And what style.”

Smith continued: “Thank you for your service old chap – it won’t be the same without you.”

In his own statement, Menzies declared: “If I know anything about the Duke of Edinburgh I’m fairly sure he wouldn’t want an actor who portrayed him on TV giving their opinion on his life, so I’ll leave it to Shakespeare.”

Menzies then quoted a line of dialogue from the Bard’s As You Like It, writing: “O good old man! How well in thee appears / the constant service of the antique world…”

Matt Smith as Prince Philip in The Crown, and the real Prince Philip (Netflix/Matt Dunham/Getty)

It is unclear if Prince Philip had watched The Crown, though it was previously reported that he had been asked at a dinner party whether he had. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he allegedly replied.

The makers of The Crown previously released a statement on the Duke’s death, writing that they were “deeply saddened” by his passing.