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The Queen Speaks Out About Being Paid Less Than Prince Philip

The Queen speaks out about being paid less than Prince Philip

‘The Queen’ has spoken out about being paid less than Prince Philip.

Award winning actress Claire Foy says she is surprised by the controversy surrounding the gender pay-gap in the hit series The Crown.

Queen speaks out about fan outrage

Foy plays the lead role of Queen Elizabeth II in the hit Netflix series.

However, producers recently revealed she is paid less than her male co-star Matt Smith, who plays Prince Philip, angering fans.

Foy told Entertainment Weekly:

“I’m surprised because I’m at the centre of it, and anything that I’m at the centre of like that is very, very odd, and feels very, very out of the ordinary.

“But I’m not surprised about the interest in the story in the sense that it was a female-led drama.

“I’m not surprised that people saw the story and went, ‘Oh, that’s a bit odd.’

“But I know Matt feels the same that I do, that it’s odd to find yourself at the centre [of a story] that you didn’t particularly ask for.”

Producers apologise for gender pay gap

The producers of the show justified paying Smith more by saying he had a well-known reputation in the industry.

Smith had previously starred in Doctor Who.

However, a petition is encouraging Smith to donate the difference between his salary and Foy’s to the #Time’sUp movement.

As a result of the controversy, Left Bank Pictures, the producers of The Crown, apologised for the pay disparity:

“We want to apologise to both Claire Foy and Matt Smith, both brilliant actors and friends, who have found themselves at the centre of a media storm this week through no fault of their own.

“As the producers of The Crown, we at Left Bank Pictures are responsible for budgets and salaries.

“The actors are not aware of who gets what, and cannot be held personally responsible for the pay of their colleagues.”

Producers need to close the gap

Miles Heffernan from Discrimination Claims said the makers of The Crown need to fix the problem.

“You can understand Matt Smith being paid a bit more for the first series, because he was a well-known name,” he said.

“However, now that series two is so successful, Ms Foy should be paid the same.”


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