Josh O'Connor felt "awful" when he had to rage at Emma Corrin in 'The Crown'.

Josh O'Connor

Josh O'Connor

The 30-year-old actor admitted he was desperate to hug and apologise to his co-star after shooting an explosive scene where his character Prince Charles confronts the 24-year-old star's Princess Diana in a fit of frustrated anger.

He said: "I felt awful. I tend to keep myself to myself, especially on days where it's that kind of emotional scene.

"Emma and I get on very well. We roamed around for weeks on electric scooters [filming in Majorca].

"But on the day, they go, 'Action!' — and I scream in her face. All I want to do is give her a hug and say, 'I'm so sorry.' "

Josh insisted he is very different to the tormented, brooding prince he plays in the show.

He told the Daily Mail newspaper's Baz Bamigboye: "I'm quite a happy-go-lucky person. But I take acting seriously.

"I think it's helpful to stay light and playful in your everyday life; but on set and on stage it's about focus."

However, his focus drifted whenever he shared the screen with Olivia Colman, who plays his mother Queen Elizabeth.

He said: "She's a devil! As soon as Olivia's there, my guard's down — and I can't stop laughing!"

Josh admitted it has taken him some time to "work out what really triggered" Charles, after two series on the show.

And he realised one of the prince's biggest frustrations came from the fact "he's not allowed to say what he feels".

He added: "There's that scene where the queen says: 'No one wants to hear you! He wants to marry Camilla, but he's shut down...

"He goes to the Queen to say, in essence, 'This marriage isn't working. Diana's not happy, I'm not happy. Camilla's not happy.' And he's shut down, shut down, shut down.' "

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