The palace staff’s favourite royal is really not who you'd expect

Cape Town - Nope, it’s not the Duchess of Sussex.

While Prince Harry’s wife Meghan may be a firm fan favourite at the moment, the palace staff prefer another member of the royal family.

According to The Crown actor Matt Smith (35), the Duke of Edinburgh (97) is the most beloved in the royal household.

“In the royal house, he’s the most popular of all of them,” Matt, who plays Prince Philip in the Netflix drama, told Variety.

“If you’ve talked to any of the staff, Philip’s the one they all love really. All the research I did found him to be brilliantly funny, very clever and very popular.”

Matt, who played the young Prince Philip for two seasons of the hit show, says he believes the show has helped debunk misconceptions about the queen’s husband.

“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.”

The next season of the show will skip ahead to a later period of Queen Elizabeth (92) and Prince Philip’s lives, with a new, older cast. Outlander star Tobias Menzies (44) will step into Philip’s shoes, while Olivia Colman (44) will take over from Claire Foy (34) as the queen, The Express reports.

Sources: The Express, The Mirror, Variety