Dominic West has revealed that pictures of him kissing actress Lily James being published in the press “informed” how he portrayed Prince Charles in The Crown.

In October 2020, co-stars James and West were photographed embracing while they were in Rome.

West, 54, who is married, now says the ensuing tabloid imbroglio helped him play the role of Charles, while he was Prince of Wales, in The Crown.

The actor told The Times: “I’d had a very acute understanding of what it’s like to feel the horror of your name or your photo in the newspapers.

“There is that dreadful, freezing moment when something is revealed about you. I think anyone can understand how that feels.

“But I’d been through it, and it must have informed how I approached it. That gut feeling of horror isn’t something you get inured to.”

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During his stint as Charles, he played some of the most controversial moments of his life, including his divorce from Princess Diana, her death and his relationship with now Queen, Camilla Parker Bowles.

Following the pictures being published, West and his wife Catherine Fitzgerald released a statement about their marriage, describing themselves as “very much still together”.

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Fitzgerald was also said at the time to have banned West from speaking with the actress, who first shot to fame for her role in Downton Abbey.

James, 35, and West were together in the Italian capital amid the filming of an adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit of Love.

West played the now King in two seasons of The Crown opposite Elizabeth Debicki’s Princess Diana and Olivia Williams Camilla Parker Bowles.

He has been nominated for a Best Leading Actor TV BAFTA for his portrayal, with the ceremony set to go ahead on 28 April.

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