Matt Smith isn’t necessarily delighted for Meghan Markle and her engagement to Prince Harry. The actor, who plays Prince Philip in Netflix’s The Crown, explained just why during a talk moderated by Vanity Fair’s Mike Hogan in NYC on Tuesday, November 5.
“I feel sorry for her. It’s such a transition in her life, and it’s such a huge thing to take on,” Smith, 35, said at 92nd Street Y. “Life as she knows it is gone. But hey, she’s marrying the prince of Britain — how exciting for her.”
Smith’s costar Claire Foy, however, gave a more positive spin about the news. Foy, of course, plays Prince Harry’s grandmother — Queen Elizabeth II — in the smash hit.
“You realize the fact that Elizabeth forbade her sister from marrying a divorced man; it goes to show how time has changed and how they’ve had to evolve,” she said. “And they really have. This would not have been conceivable, this would not have happened 50 years ago. And I think that’s why the monarchy will survive and thrive, because it’s willing to change and listen to the people and realize that some elements of the institution are outdated and unnecessary.”
Markle was previously married to film producer Trevor Engelson from 2011 to 2013.
Prince Harry, 33, announced his engagement to the American actress — who has now retired from the business — late last month. The royal began dating the Suits alum, 36, last year and they plan to tie the knot at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in England in May 2018.
But before that, the couple will celebrate the Christmas holiday with The Queen and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. For details, pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on stands now.
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Season 2 of The Crown drops on Friday.
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