Turns out Paul Bettany won’t be replacing Matt Smith in The Crown, after all

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Alas, the wild, unpredictable world of TV casting had teased us with a Prince Philip played by Paul Bettany, and then snatched it away just as quickly.

Earlier in the week news broke that the next series of Netflix’s The Crown would be recasting the role previously played by Matt Smith with fellow Brit Paul Bettany. He would be joining Olivia Colman’s Elizabeth, who herself replaces Claire Foy as the series moves on.

‘In talks’ usually means that all that needs to be done is the signing of the paperwork, so the internet took the news as gospel. Every so often, however, there’s a fly in the ointment and negotiations collapse. That’s what’s happened here, with scheduling conflicts reportedly to blame.

So let the speculation restart – who would you like to step into the royal shoes for The Crown series three? Let us know in the comments.