On a roll
Say hello to The Crown’s answer to Prince William at uni
Growing up on a farm in Devon with his parents and an older brother, acting was always on Ed McVey’s mind. Now, after graduating from a top London drama school, playing an understudy at The Old Vic and auditioning eight times for The Crown, the 24-year-old is about to burst on to screens as Prince William in the sixth and final season of the hit Netflix show. Here, he chats dialect coaches, Christmas traditions and his ideal day off.
How did you prep for the role of Prince William?
He’s been documented from birth, so I was able to watch him grow up and really study him. He has a very specific voice – that 2000s Etonian thing, where people try to dial down how much money they have. I worked with a movement coach, so I could embody his physicality, trying to connect it to his psychology – how he feels in his mind affects how he behaves in his body, especially with what he went through at that time.
How did you and Meg Bellamy, who plays Kate Middleton, bond on set?
It just made sense – the casting team saw an energy between us, which was very organic and simple. When we were in St Andrews filming the university scenes, we jumped in the North Sea with the rest of the cast, and it was one of those really special moments. It was freezing!
Did any of the cast offer advice?
Imelda Staunton [who plays Queen Elizabeth II] was incredibly helpful. She taught me to not be a people pleaser: you’re on set to do a job, and you can waste so much energy trying to be everyone’s friend or offering unnecessary help. ‘Keeping your own counsel��
