THE KING

—Who would have thought that Prince Charles could be so attractive? Tall, slim, elegant, that comely look in his eye that makes your heart skip a beat, a shy yet winning smile and all the hallmarks of a man who has been misunderstood and is simply looking for love… British actor Josh O’Connor cut a disarmingly sexy figure in Season 3 of The Crown, making his breakthrough and hitting the headlines at the age of 30. Born and raised in Cheltenham as one of three children, he now divides his time between North London, the English countryside and Scotland. He has become hot property, equally at home on television as he is in arthouse cinema or Shakespearean theatre. And his charm, warmth and sparkle were still readily apparent despite having to be interviewed on Zoom, resplendent in a baggy navy sweater that contrasted with the pastel décor of his London home.

VOGUE HOMMES

How is life in lockdown for an actor? Is it tough not to be on set somewhere?

JOSH O’CONNOR Everything’s on hold for the moment. The last time I was on set was back in September — I was meant to appear in Romeo and Juliet at the National Theatre and due to the current circumstances, they decided to make a film of it instead. But I’m OK, I’m not suffering [laughs]. I’m not doing a whole lot. I go for walks — I love doing that.

VOGUE HOMMES

You were magnificent as Prince Charles in “The

Crown”. How did you manage to get the part?

I’m good friends with Vanessa Kirby, the actor who played Margaret in the first two seasons, and I’d heard via her that they were planning to do a third season and were looking for someone to play Charles. My agent called me to say that he was going to put me up for the role. I was filming an adaptation of Victor Hugo’s near Brussels and I said no straight away. I’m a republican, and at that