Having been born into the white-hot center of the modern British monarchy, princes William and Harry have arguably been documented more prolifically and publicly than any other humans on the planet. This resonated with Ed McVey and Luther Ford, particularly after The Crown cast them to play the brothers in the series’ final episodes—and Netflix presented each actor with robust research packets chronicling the princes’ lives.
“At first it was quite overwhelming, because there’s been so much media surrounding them from birth,” says Ford of being cast as the younger son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. “They were born into a contractual obligation with the press.”
It might have been hard to summon the sibling bond that comes from sharing such a rare experience. But McVey and Ford quickly forged their own brotherhood as a pair of unknown actors cast in two of the most anticipated roles on an unusually expensive, award-winning series that’s been viewed by at least 73 million people worldwide since it first aired in 2016.
“It’s scary going onto a set like that,” Ford tells VF on a recent Zoom, recalling the intimidating scale and an ensemble cast that includes Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce, and Dominic West. Unlike most of their costars, McVey had never appeared onscreen—though he did study at drama school and perform onstage—and Ford had no previous acting credits.
Ford, who auditioned after his brother’s girlfriend saw a casting notice for The Crown on social media, recalls the first day that he and McVey filmed on the series. Their initial scene was shot at the series’ most royal location: Lancaster House, the 19th-century mansion neighboring Clarence House and St. James’s Palace that’s just a five-minute walk from Buckingham Palace. As if the location were not intimidating enough, the actors were performing a heated sibling conversation in front of about 60 supporting artists including Staunton, Price, and West—all of whom, for audio reasons, were miming conversations in the background.
“Essentially the first day was them watching us do a scene, which was insane,” says Ford, calling it “the most pressurized position to put us in.” He adds with a laugh, “We could have just started with some shots of us walking.”
Then came a scene that Ford describes as “so much worse”—a whispered conversation that William and Harry have in between singing hymns at the Queen Mother’s funeral. Again, he says he and McVey had to sing along to music that only they were hearing through earpieces while about 400 supporting artists inside a cathedral silently bore witness.
“We were singing a cappella in front of the main cast. When your only aim is naturalism, and you’re doing something completely unnatural, it just feels wrong,” says Ford, noting that the finished scene thankfully “doesn’t reflect the pain” of filming.
Ford and McVey had gotten together before production began—taking walks, talking about their characters at the pub. But it was the shared surreality of joining a celebrated ensemble series in its final season that sealed their camaraderie.
“The experience of going through it together bonded us,” says Ford, before delivering a line that could accurately describe William and Harry’s relationship as well. “The situation felt so extreme that it was like, ‘Well, you are the only person in my position, and I’m the only person who’s in your position. So we’re bonded.’” In a separate conversation, McVey confirms that they gelled quickly: “If we didn’t like each other and were just on polite terms, the experience would not have been as good.”
Julie Miller
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