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"She used to watch it on a projector on a Sunday night apparently."

The Crown star Matt Smith has said that Queen Elizabeth II watched the hit Netflix series that dramatises the life of the Royal Family.

During an interview with The Today Show in the US (reported here via Metro), Smith said that he had information that Queen Elizabeth II, who died last week aged 96, was a viewer of The Crown.

"I heard the Queen had watched it, and she used to watch it on a projector on a Sunday night apparently," Smith said. However, in the same interview, Smith said that while Queen Elizabeth II watched the series, Prince Philip did not.

"I know that Philip definitely didn't," Smith said, explaining that a friend once asked Prince Philip at a dinner whether he watched the Netflix show.

"A few courses into the meal, my friend couldn’t resist. By the end of the meal he was like, 'Philip, I have to ask, have you watched The Crown?'"

The former Doctor Who actor continued: "And apparently he turned round to him and went, 'Don't be ridiculous.'"

Related: The Crown season 5 confirms release date

The Crown chronicles the lives of the members of the Royal family with each season focusing on a new drama. The first season started off in 1952 when Queen Elizabeth II was coronated and, most recently, season 4, depicted the marriage troubles of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer.

Smith appeared in the show's first two seasons, in which he played Prince Philip opposite Claire Foy's Queen Elizabeth II. Tobias Menzies and Olivia Colman then played Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II, respectively, in seasons three and four.

Season five of The Crown will be released this November, where Imelda Staunton will take over the role of Queen Elizabeth II and Jonathan Pryce will take over the role of Prince Philip.

Pryce will be the third Game of Thrones actor to have played Prince Philip. Pryce played the High Sparrow in the HBO epic, while Menzies played Edmure Tully. Meanwhile, original Prince Philip actor Smith currently stars in House of the Dragon as Daemon Targaryen.

The Crown season 5 will premiere in November 2022, while seasons 1-4 are now streaming on Netflix. Seasons 1-3 are also available on DVD and Blu-ray.