Dominic West has revealed the harsh way King Charles III responded to his role in The Crown.
The actor admitted he contacted the King to resign as an ambassador from the Prince’s Trust over fear his casting as the former Prince of Wales in season five of the Netflix historical drama would be a conflict of interest.
However, the 53-year-old said Charles did not express any objections when he was informed of Dominic’s portrayal of him, and refused his offer.
Dominic told the Radio Times that he received a letter from the King’s private secretary in response.
The actor claimed it read along the lines of: “‘You do what you like, you’re an actor. It’s nothing to do with us.'”
The 53-year-old said there was no guidance or opinion expressed in the letter.
However, the King and Queen Consort appear to be accepting of Dominic’s role, as he revealed that Camilla jokingly called him “‘Your Majesty'” at a party last year.
Dominic admitted he was glued to Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral back in September, and described it as a “goldmine” for research into his role as the former Prince in The Crown.
The 53-year-old claimed he “watched the television for a week solidly” during the national period of mourning, which he described as “fascinating”.
The actor added that his admiration of Charles grew after watching his ascension to the throne and his involvement in his mother’s funeral.
In the joint-interview, Imelda Staunton, who plays the Queen in the fifth season of The Crown, claimed she was “inconsolable” after Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
The 66-year-old revealed she had been playing the Queen on set when the news of her death broke, but that she didn’t find out until she had wrapped filming for the day.
Imelda added that after learning of the late monarch’s death, she burst into tears and was grateful that they hadn’t been due to film for the following few days because her sadness was so evident that “they couldn’t have filmed on this face”.
On Monday, Netflix released another teaser trailer for the upcoming season of The Crown.
In a sneak peek shared via Twitter, Imelda as Queen Elizabeth sits in Balmoral as she reflects on her reign on the occasion of her Ruby Jubilee in 1992.
The clip also shows Claire Foy, who played the monarch in her early years in season 1 and 2 of the Netflix drama.
Olivia Coleman, who took over the role for series 3 and 4, is also seen in the flashback cameos.
Season five of The Crown joins Netflix on Wednesday, November 9.
