The much anticipated fifth season of The Crown season has been released on Netflix, and with it brings a new cast to play the Royal Family. The actor for Prince Philip now changed, and this article takes a look at who plays Prince Phillip in The Crown Season 5.
The long-awaited fifth season of The Crown has finally arrived and continues its thought-provoking look at the Royal Family, but increasingly finds itself the subject of criticism for its historical inaccuracy. While the then Prince Charles and Princess Diana and their relationship are the focus of the latest season, it also shows several other events, like the other scandals that the family endured and the new Prime Minister who is now in power.
Prince Philip is a key member of the Royal Family, being the husband to Queen Elizabeth, so is featured heavily in the show. He is a central figure in the Royal Family but has often caused controversy with some of the things that he has said. The Crown season 5 sees a new actor take on the role of the Prince, to be more in line with Philip’s older age in the time period.
Who is Prince Philip?
Prince Philip is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II and is the longest-living male member of the Royal Family. He was born in 1921 and died in 2021 aged 99. He is the Duke of Edinburgh, having gained that title prior to his marriage to Queen Elizabeth in 1947. Philip was very close to his wife, who described him as “her rock. He is the father of King Charles III, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne, and Prince Edward.
Prince Philip is shown to be very old-fashioned, which is something that gets touched upon in season 5 with Princess Diana. He and Diana had a rocky relationship, with the pair often butting heads. During this time, Prince Philip also develops a close friendship with Penelope Knatchbull, the Countess Mountbatten of Burma, or Lady Romsey, after the death of her daughter.
Who plays Prince Philip in The Crown season 5?
To keep Prince Philip looking similar to his age, The Crown has changed the actors of the Royals every couple of seasons. Season 5 marks the start of the new actors taking over, with Prince Philip being among those whose actor has changed.
Sir Jonathan Pryce now plays Prince Philip, who has previously starred in the 2019 film The Two Popes but has appeared in other popular shows and films like Game of Thrones and in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. Pryce appears alongside other newcomers like Imelda Staunton, Jonny Lee Miller, and Dominic West.
He has opened up about his experience playing the Prince. Speaking to Yahoo UK, he said that the experience has “reinforced” his anti-monarchist views of the Royal Family, but it has helped him to understand them more. After Queen Elizabeth’s death, he has also said that he thought that people will feel comforted seeing her embodied again.
Pryce and the other cast members are expected to return in the show’s sixth and final season to depict the events of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
How old is Prince Philip in The Crown season 5?
The Crown season 5 opens in 1991. Prince Philip is born in June 1921, making him 70. The show continues throughout the 1990s and finishes in the summer of 1997, when Prince Philip will be 77. At this time, Charles separates from Diana, and she publishes her experience as a Royal, throwing them into scandal.
Both Queen Elizabeth’s age and Philip’s age become important in the fifth season of The Crown, with the pair becoming seen as being out of touch with the rest of the British people. This isn’t just apparent through their age, but how they feel about material aspects like the Royal Yacht.
Who played Prince Philip in previous seasons?
In previous seasons, two other actors have taken on the role of Prince Philip. For the first two seasons, (season 1 is set from 1947 to 1955, and season 2 is set in 1956 to 1964), Matt Smith plays Prince Philip. Smith is a well-known actor who’s done many films and TV shows, with the most well-known being his time as the eleventh Doctor in Doctor Who.
In seasons 3 and 4 (set from 1964 to 1977, and 1979 to 1990), Tobias Menzies plays an older Prince Philip. Menzies is perhaps best well known for his appearance as Brutus in the show Rome but has also appeared in other popular films and TV shows like the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale and Game of Thrones.
You can watch The Crown with a subscription to Netflix.
