Why the star of The Crown Matt Smith 'feels sorry' for Meghan Markle

Matt Smith "feels sorry" for Meghan Markle.

The Crown actor thinks it is "exciting" the former Suits actress has got engaged to Prince Harry but he thinks it will be quite difficult to adjust to her new life as a member of the royal family.

Matt - who plays royal spouse Prince Philip in the Netflix drama - said: "I feel sorry for her.

"It's such a transition in her life, and it's such a huge thing to take on. Life as she knows it is gone. But hey, she's marrying the prince of Britain - how exciting for her."

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Meghan, 36, was previously married to Trevor Engelson from 2011 to 2013, and Matt's co-star Claire Foy - who plays Queen Elizabeth - noted how her engagement to Harry would "not have been conceivable" during the period of history they are depicting on the show.

Speaking at a 92Y screening and Q&A, she is quoted by Vanity Fair as saying: "You realise the fact that Elizabeth forbade her sister from marrying a divorced man; it goes to show how time has changed and how they've had to evolve. And they really have.

"This would not have been conceivable, this would not have happened 50 years ago.

"And I think that's why the monarchy will survive and thrive because it's willing to change and listen to the people and realise that some elements of the institution are outdated and unnecessary."

The 33-year-old actress - who has a two-year-old daughter with husband Stephen Campbell Moore - joked Meghan's engagement had given her "hope".

She quipped: "She's an actress, so there's hope for us all."

- Bang! Showbiz