The Crown’s Josh O’Connor has ‘very little interest’ in royal family and ‘didn’t watch’ Oprah interview

The actor said he has a ‘great fondness’ for Prince Charles, who he portrays in the series

Natasha Preskey
Tuesday 30 March 2021 15:27 BST
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(Getty Images)

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The actor who plays Prince Charles in The Crown has admitted he has "very little interest" in the royals, even after starring in the series.

Josh O’Connor, who has played Prince Charles for two series of the Netflix drama, said the family feel "far removed" and he has never had an interest in the royals.

"I think I find it really hard pinning the real royal family to The Crown. They feel so far removed," he told GQ.

"And basically, I had no interest in the royal family before I did The Crown. And I have very little interest now!"

The 30-year-old said he has a "great fondness" for Charles as a person, however, after doing extensive research on the royal for the role.

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He said he "definitely didn’t" watch Harry and Meghan’s tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey and he "doesn’t feel bad about it".

Prior to starring in The Crown, O’Connor acted in Peaky Blinders, Ripper Street and The Durrells.

Earlier this month, a royal author claimed that Prince Charles leaves the Queen "constantly frustrated".

Speaking on Channel 4 documentary Queen Elizabeth: Love, Honour and Crown, Clive Irving claimed Charles will "never live up" to the Queen’s "sense of duty".

Irving, author of new biography The Last Queen, said the Queen is "puzzled" by the Prince of Wales and had "never really understood" him.

Irving said: “The Queen’s constantly frustrated with Charles, she’s never really understood him, she’s puzzled by him.

"And that’s why she’s, to this day, more openly affectionate to Andrew and more forgiving toward Andrew than she is towards Charles."

Discussing the Queen’s "very dedicated sense of duty", he said: "All those around the Queen never measure up to that at any point. Her own family has not measured up to that. Charles never measures up to that."

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