The Crown star Matt Smith: Duke Of Edinburgh was the man
The actor played the royal in the drama.
The Crown star Matt Smith has described the Duke of Edinburgh as “the man” following his death at the age of 99.
The Doctor Who actor played Philip in the first two series of the lavish Netflix series, opposite Claire Foy as the Queen.
He said: “I’d like to offer my condolences to Her Majesty the Queen and the Royal Family.
“Prince Philip was the man. And he knew it. 99 and out, but what an innings. And what style.
He was replaced by Outlander actor Tobias Menzies for series three and four, opposite Olivia Colman as the Queen.
The first series followed the earlier days of the relationship between the Queen and Philip, while the second series dramatised tensions in the marriage.
Later episodes showed his interest in and passion for space travel.
Menzies wrote on Twitter: “If I know anything about the Duke of Edinburgh I’m fairly sure he wouldn’t want an actor who portrayed him on TV giving their opinion on his life, so I’ll leave it to Shakespeare.
“‘O good old man! how well in thee appears. The constant service of the antique world…’ RIP.”
“Our thoughts are with the royal family at this sad time.”
Oscar nominee Jonathan Pryce will take over the role of the Duke of Edinburgh for the fifth and six series of the show, which will be the last.
He will star opposite Imelda Staunton as the Queen.
He became the organisation’s first president in 1959, one year after the British Film Academy and the Guild of Television Producers and Directors merged to create the Society of Film and Television Arts (SFTA), a forerunner of Bafta.
The duke represented the society until 1965 and presented awards at ceremonies during this period.
He was also present at the official opening of Bafta’s headquarters in London, after he and the Queen gave their share of the profits from the 1969 documentary Royal Family to the SFTA.
Bafta said Philip was “an important figure in one of the most ambitious overseas initiatives the Academy has ever undertaken”, when he attended the Festival of British Film and Television at the Library of Congress in Washington DC.
A statement said: “The duke occupies a special place in the Academy’s history and will be missed enormously.
“Our thoughts are with the royal family, to whom we offer our deepest sympathy.”
Philip’s grandson, the Duke of Cambridge, is the current president of Bafta.
The Academy is due to hand out its film awards on Saturday and Sunday night in largely virtual ceremonies.
