Matt Smith has praised Prince Philip for getting back behind the wheel just a day after he was involved in a car accident.
The 36-year-old actor – who portrayed Queen Elizabeth’s husband in the first two seasons of ‘The Crown’ – thinks it is "amazing" that the 97-year-old royal drove again not long after he was involved in a road collision in Norfolk in January, causing his own vehicle to flip over.
Matt said: "I thought it was amazing in some ways that he was back in the car the next day.
"Getting back on the horse, that is what he does.
"Also, I know people in their nineties who drive."
And Matt particularly admires the way Philip – who voluntarily gave up his driving license weeks after the crash – doesn’t seem to care what other people think of him.
He told Britain’s GQ magazine: "What I really like about him is that he does not give a f**k. ‘F**k you! F**k all of you! And she’s the queen, so what? I’m Philip!’ "
The British actor admitted playing Philip was "very special" because he learned a lot about the royal.
He said: "Getting to know Prince Philip was very special.
"I love him and sort of always have.
"I was never very interested in the royals and, actually, I just thought what many people do, that he’s a doddering old fool who always says the wrong thing. He’s so much more than that."
Matt also hinted he had received approval from the royal family for his performance in ‘The Crown’.
He said: "I think a few of them have seen it. There may have a note. There may have been a text. But I’m not in a position to divulge such information."
Matt Smith praises Prince Philip
