Dominic West took Prince Harry's book with "a pinch of salt," but found it interesting, he told Newsweek.
The actor plays the then Prince Charles, now king, in the award-winning Netflix drama The Crown and said he studied all the material he could get his hands on in preparing for the role.
That included Spare—Harry's memoir—which became the fastest selling non-fiction book after it went on sale in January 2023. And that sets him apart from Peter Morgan, the show's creator, who said he did not read it.
"I did read Spare of course," West told Newsweek. "I devoured everything. I still am. I devoured everything I could get my hands on to see[...]get some clues as to what's going on inside this character but Peter didn't, I don't think.
"What Harry wrote wasn't incorporated in any of his scripts. So it might have influenced the way I played it, but it certainly didn't influence the way it was written and therefore ultimately the way I played it is what's written."
"It was interesting," West added. "I suppose I took it with a pinch of salt. I'm not playing the real Charles I'm playing Peter Morgan's Charles and so while it was interesting for me as someone who's been studying and scrutinizing this guy for two years, it wasn't my job to bring that into it."
West started playing Charles in Season 5, which was released in November 2022, a month after Queen Elizabeth II died, though it was filmed before her death.
The latest, and final, season was made against the backdrop of succession from Elizabeth to King Charles III, culminating in the coronation in May 2023.
"So much in The Crown and in real life, in Diana's panorama interview, was questioning whether he should be king or whether he would be king or whether he'd last that long and then suddenly he is king and all those doubts are never aired again," West said.
"It was such a seamless transition really, which is, I suppose, the purpose of the crown, that it is a symbol of permanence regardless of the personalities involved.
"And it was interesting seeing all of that working in real life and to see the institution at its most dynamic, which I suppose is when it changes from one sovereign to another."
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more
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