Everything the royal family have said about The Crown including Prince Harry and King Charles

Since its premiere on Netflix in 2016, The Crown has given fans a fictional, yet, fascinating look into the world of the British royal family. But it's also left us all wondering the same thing: did the late Queen and the rest of the royal family watch the popular show?

MORE: Actors who have played members of the royal family

While we doubt they obsess over it as much as we do, given we've all been inside in lockdown over the last year, there is a chance one or two of them have added the award-winning series to their Netflix queue. Keep reading for everything the royals have said about the show over the years...

WATCH: Zara Tindall's husband Mike admits he watched the hit Netflix show

The Queen

Would you be able to resist watching a fictionalised version of your life? According to Vanessa Kirby, who played Princess Margaret in seasons one and two, she has it on good authority that the late Queen had indeed tuned in.

Chatting to Harper's Bazaar, she previously said: "A friend of mine was at a party and didn't know anyone, so he sidled up to this group who were talking about The Crown. One girl said, 'Well, my granny watches it and really likes it'. It slowly dawned on him that the girl was Eugenie and her granny was the Queen."

The Queen has reportedly tuned into The Crown

Jason Watkins, who plays Prime Minister Harold Wilson in season three, also told HELLO! that he suspects the monarch watched it. He said: "She must watch it! But I'm sure she knows it's a drama and although it's based on real events, it's a dramatic interpretation. But it's an affectionate portrayal, so I hope she enjoys it."

According to actor Matt Smith, the late Queen used to watch episodes of The Crown via a projector on Sunday nights. Speaking to NBC's Today Show in September, he said: "I heard the Queen had watched it, and she used to watch it on a projector on a Sunday night apparently. I know that Philip definitely didn't. A friend of mine sat next to him at a dinner once and he asked him… apparently he turned around to him and said, 'Don't be ridiculous.'"

Prince Philip

Matt Smith played Prince Philip in the first two series, and revealed to the Guardian that a friend of his asked the Prince about the royal drama. According to the star, the friend was at a dinner at Buckingham Palace when he couldn't resist asking the Prince about the show.

Prince Philip was asked if he's watched the show

According to Matt, his friend, "a man of prominence in the film world" was sat next to the Duke for the dinner, and the Prince asked him: "What do you do? Are you involved in this… Crown thing?" After he confirmed that he wasn't involved in the series, he asked Prince Philip: "Philip, I'm just wondering, because I have some friends who made The Crown, have you watched any?" to which the royal replied: "Don't be ridiculous." Matt added: "Whether it's true or not, I don't know, but I just think he's a bit of a cool cat."

Prince William

Olivia Colman, who is playing the Queen in seasons three and four, admitted that she couldn't resist asking Prince William if he had seen the show when she met him. Chatting on The Graham Norton Show, she said: "I met Prince William at a dinner and he asked what I was doing at the moment before he quickly added, 'Actually, I know what you're doing.' I was so excited and asked, ‘Have you watched it?’ His answer was a firm, 'No.' But he was very charming and very lovely."

Prince William gave a firm no

Prince Harry

Prince Harry finally broke his silence over whether he watches The Crown during his appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden in February 2021. While he didn't say how much he had watched, it seems like the Duke was pretty familiar with the show from his comments. "It's fictional. But it's loosely based on the truth," he said.

Prince Harry shared his thoughts on the series

"Of course, it's not strictly accurate, but loosely... it gives you a rough idea about that lifestyle and 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 even provided producers with a casting idea if the show does eventually tell the story of himself and Meghan stepping back from royal life - get Damien Lewis to play him!

King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla

Camilla's cousin, Ben Elliot, revealed that she enjoys watching the programme, so chances are that the King joined her on occasion! According to Vanity Fair, he said she was a fan of the show, adding that she "wasn't looking forward to the bits to come". Her character was introduced in season three as Prince Charles' first girlfriend, who eventually marries Andrew Parker Bowles after the royal family intervenes.

Queen Consort Camilla is said to have watched the series

Sarah Ferguson

Though she only features as a minor character in the Netflix drama, Sarah, Duchess Of York, admitted last year she was impressed by the series and "loved" that her 1986 wedding to Prince Andrew was included.

Sarah Ferguson enjoyed seeing her wedding play out on screen

"I thought it was filmed beautifully. The cinematography was excellent," the new grandmother said of the show in an interview with US Weekly, adding that she was also quite the fan of one of Netflix's other big shows. "I adored Bridgerton so much that I watched it twice, deliberately. I'm obsessed with it."

Princess Eugenie

Princess Eugenie has previously revealed that she is "very proud" to watch The Crown. Chatting to HELLO!, she said: "It is filmed beautifully. The music is wonderful, the story is beautiful. You feel very proud to watch it. I can’t speak for everyone, but that’s how I felt when I watched it." She also admitted that she would eventually like Kate Beckinsale to play her in any future royal adaptations!

Princess Eugenie shared her mum's thoughts on the series

Princess Anne

Princess Anne, the Queen's only daughter, divulged that she had watched some of the show in the past in an interview for ITV's documentary Anne: The Princess Royal at 70. While she said she found the episodes "quite interesting", she did take issue with actress Erin Doherty's confession that the royal's signature coif took hours to replicate.

Princess Anne shared her thoughts on her character's portrayal 

"Actually I read an article the other day about The Crown, the actress was talking about how long it took them to do their hair like I did. And I'm thinking, 'How could you possibly take that long?' I mean it takes me 10 or 15 minutes."

Zara and Mike Tindall

Mike and Zara Tindall have suggested who should play them

Although Zara didn't reveal whether she actually watched The Crown, she and her husband Mike revealed who they would like to play them in future series' of the show. Chatting to JOE UK, Mike joked: "Series 35. Jason Statham, you're welcome." He added that Charlize Theron would play Zara, who added: "Or Justin Timberlake's wife, Jessica Biel. Obviously, I look very similar to all of them!"

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