This Surprising Royal Was “The Most Popular” Among Staff—And It’s Not Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth was beloved by people around the world, including members of her loyal staff like her longtime dresser, Angela Kelly. But it turns out there's one member of the Royal Family who surpassed the late Queen in popularity—at least among their household employees. Prince Philip might have been known for his often politically incorrect one-liners, but according to Matt Smith—who portrayed the Duke of Edinburgh in the first two seasons of The Crown—the late royal was a staff favorite.

"All the research I did found him to be brilliantly funny, very clever, very popular," Smith said in a 2018 interview with Variety. "In the royal house he's the most popular of all of them. If you've talked to any of the staff, Philip's the one they all love really."

In the interview, which took place three years before the duke's 2021 death, Smith continued, "I think more than a lot of them, 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," the actor continued. "They all love him."

The feeling was mutual. When Prince Philip died at the age of 99, he reportedly left £30 million (roughly $40.8 million) to three of his favorite staff members, including "his private secretary, Brigadier Archie Miller Bakewell, his page William Henderson and valet Stephen Niedojadlo," per the Sun.

At the time, an insider said of the unconventional move, "Unlike some other royals, Prince Philip will be generous to the three men who looked after him." The source, who called the late Duke of Edinburgh "a very fair, even-handed and lovely man," added that when he was released from a four-week-long hospital stay weeks before his death, Prince Philip spent time preparing gifts for his staff, including signing photographs in monogrammed frames.