The world watched on Saturday as the British royal family laid Prince Philip to rest, and as royal fans around the world continue to mourn the loss of the royal patriarch, they are also flocking to Netflix. New data has found that following the Duke of Edinburgh’s death on April 9, the streamer’s historical drama The Crown has seen a surge in viewers worldwide, including the show’s two most popular markets – the UK and the US.
Although the series continues to face criticism over its historical accuracy, or as many view it, inaccuracies, between April 8 and April 10, the days immediately before and immediately after Philip’s death at 99, The Crown‘s viewership saw double digit increases. Globally, demand for the series increased by 30.1% and peaked at 51.4-times more in-demand than the average series globally on April 10, according to Parrot Analytics. In the U.S. meanwhile, demand increased by 47.1%, with demand jumping by 28.8% in the U.K. Parrot Analytics also notes that by April 10, The Crown became the 30th most in-demand series in the US across all platforms, which was up from 96th most on April 8th, the 5th most in-demand series in the U.K. across all platforms, up from 12th, and the 8th most in-demand series worldwide across all platforms, up from 25th most. The increased demand follows a trend of the series garnering more eyes following major events surrounding the royals, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey as well as The Crown taking home multiple wins at the Golden Globes.
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Originally debuting on the platform back in November of 2016, The Crown chronicles the life of Queen Elizabeth II from the 1940s to modern times, with each season chronicling a year of her reign. Philip has been a staple character on the series given that he was married to Her Majesty for 73 years and died as the longest-serving consort to a British sovereign. Throughout the series, a number of actors has taken on being his on-screen counterpart, with the princes of The Crown having paid tribute to their real-life counterpart following Buckingham’s announcement that he died “peacefully” at Windsor Castle.
Matt Smith, who starred as Philip alongside Claire Foy’s Queen Elizabeth in Seasons 1 and 2, said in a statement to Entertainment weekly, “Prince Philip was the man. And he knew it. 99 and out, but what an innings. And what style. Thank you for your service old chap – it won’t be the same without you.” Tobias Menzies, who took over for Smith in Seasons 3 and 4, wrote on Twitter, “If I know anything about the Duke of Edinburgh I’m fairly sure he wouldn’t want an actor who portrayed him on TV giving their opinion on his life, so I’ll leave it to Shakespeare. ‘O good old man! how well in thee appears The constant service of the antique world…’ RIP.”
The first four seasons of The Crown are available for streaming on Netflix. Filming for Season 5, which does not yet have a premiere date, is expected to begin filming this summer. In the final two seasons, Philip will be portrayed by Jonathan Pryce. Stay tuned to PopCulture for the latest updates.
