--- title: Matt Smith From the Crown Has Advice for Meghan Markle description: Matt Smith, the actor who plays Queen Elizabeth II's husband Prince Philip on 'The Crown,' has some insight into becoming a royal spouse. canonical: https://time.com/5052214/matt-smith-meghan-markle/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-12-06T16:49:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:24.787Z og:title: The Crown's Prince Has Some Advice for Meghan Markle og:description: "Life as she knows it is gone. But hey, she’s marrying the prince of Britain." og:url: https://time.com/5052214/matt-smith-meghan-markle/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltab79075a9c5f6c05/6988f409e76ad2746b630374/matt-smith-claire-foy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: 92nd Street Y Presents A Screening And Conversation With The Cast Of "The Crown" og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Crown's Prince Has Some Advice for Meghan Markle twitter:description: "Life as she knows it is gone. But hey, she’s marrying the prince of Britain." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltab79075a9c5f6c05/6988f409e76ad2746b630374/matt-smith-claire-foy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Another Famous Royal Spouse Has Some Words of Advice for Meghan Markle > Sponsored content. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=67a2d6cb-b8e6-4262-9dcc-65237e7a1ef1&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Greet Royal Fans [Watch (HLS stream): Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Greet Royal Fans](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/4QyPCvyN.m3u8) (0:50)  _Published 2017-12-01. Hundreds of royal fans, some carrying British and American flags, lined the streets of Nottingham on Friday in hopes of catching a glimpse of Prince Harry and his fiancee, Meghan Markle_  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Dec 6, 2017 4:49 PM UTC  Claire Foy and Matt Smith attend the screening of 'The Crown' at 92nd Street Y on December 4, 2017 in New York City. Claire Foy and Matt Smith attend the screening of 'The Crown' at 92nd Street Y on December 4, 2017 in New York City. Daniel Zuchnik—Getty Images  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Dec 6, 2017 4:49 PM UTC Marrying into a royal family — especially Britain’s notoriously hyper-scrutinized Mountbatten-Windsor family — is no small step. And despite the allure of crowns, gowns and castles, it can be a huge responsibility. Just ask others who have tied the knot and knitted their fates with that of the crown. Or ask those who have done it… fictionally. [Matt Smith](http://time.com/5015435/the-crown-season-2-release-date/), who plays Queen Elizabeth II’s husband Prince Philip on [Netflix’s popular _The Crown_](http://time.com/4557482/the-crown-review-netflix-queen-elizabeth/)_,_ had some comments about Meghan Markle’s future as the [wife of Prince Harry](http://time.com/5039393/royal-wedding-2018-details/). Speaking at a screening of the show at New York’s 92nd Street Y, Smith seemed to relate with Markle’s situation. (As displayed in his story arc onscreen, Philip could be a reluctant royal consort, finding difficulty adjusting to expectations. But the real-life Philip has stuck by his Queen’s side [for 70 years now](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjEvqjC5fXXAhUV%5FmMKHfYeA80QFggpMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F11%2F20%2Fworld%2Feurope%2Fuk-queen-elizabeth-prince-philip.html&usg=AOvVaw24fsIAhTDm3f4q3XIF3MI%5F).) “I feel sorry for her,” [Smith said of Markle](http://people.com/tv/the-crown-matt-smith-feels-sorry-meghan-markle-transition-into-royalty/). “It’s such a transition in her life, and it’s such a huge thing to take on. Life as she knows it is gone. But hey, she’s marrying the prince of Britain — how exciting for her.” Following months of privacy, Markle has just taken on some of her [first public roles](http://time.com/5045105/meghan-markle-prince-harry-glove/) as Prince Harry’s fiancée, including making an appearance at a charity event. She also announced her decision to leave her acting career. ## Transcript Thank you. [ SOUND ] Not happy, him. Yeah, he was waiting to meet you. [ LAUGH ] Yeah, I wanted to cry. Yeah, yeah. [ LAUGH ] [ APPLAUSE ] [ INAUDIBLE ] Congratulations! [ CROSSTALK ] Harry. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5052214/matt-smith-meghan-markle/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5052214/matt-smith-meghan-markle/"},"headline":"Another Famous Royal Spouse Has Some Words of Advice for Meghan Markle","datePublished":"2017-12-06T16:49:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:47:24.787Z","description":"\"Life as she knows it is gone. 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