Royals

Why Prince Philip is the most popular member of the royal family among the palace staff

The Duke of Edinburgh is said to have a naughtiness that the palace staff find very appealing.
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The young royals, including its newest member Duchess Meghan, often dominate the headlines and we love seeing what they get up to. But when it comes to the Palace staff, it’s Prince Philip who’s number one in their eyes.

In an interview with US entertainment magazine and website Variety, actor Matt Smith, who plays the Duke of Edinburgh in the hit series, The Crown, says that the Queen’s husband has often been misunderstood, and is hugely popular among those who work for the British Royal Family.

Matt Smith as Prince Philip in season two of The Crown.

The actor said, “One of the interesting challenges for me was that I felt there was a sort of a misconception and a preconception about him, which reduced him a bit.

“And, actually, all the research I did found him to be brilliantly funny, very clever, very popular. In the royal house he’s the most popular of all of them. If you’ve talked to any of the staff, Philip’s the one they all love really. I think more than a lot of them, he’s a bit more of a man of the people.

“The royal protocol hasn’t dogged him in quite the same way his whole life and there’s a sort of rebellion in him and a naughtiness and a cheekiness. I think he’s quite affable and open by all accounts with the staff. They all love him.”

Prince Philip, who retired from royal duties in 2017, is remarkably spritely for a 97 year-old. Despite undergoing hip surgery in April, the Duke still attended the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in May and was spotted driving a carriage around the grounds at Windsor Castle.

WATCH: Prince Philip performs his final royal solo engagement.

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But one scenario where sparks might be set to fly is at the upcoming wedding of his granddaughter, Princess Eugenie, in October. Prince Philip is known to not be a fan of the Princess’s mother, Sarah Ferguson, even though she’s been welcomed back into the royal fold in recent years.

Those close to the royals say that Sarah Ferguson is still embroiled in a feud with the Duke of Edinburgh, so much so that they even timed their recent visits to Balmoral to ensure there was no overlap.

“Her Majesty often has the Duchess for a few days at Balmoral early in her annual summer holiday there, but Prince Philip does not like being in the same building as her. He just can’t bring himself to forgive her for some of the outrageous things she has done,” a source explained to The Mail on Sunday.

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