Josh O'Connor reveals guilt over playing Prince Charles

Josh O'Connor has revealed he feels a degree of "guilt" over his portrayal of a young Prince Charles.

The 34-year-old actor took on the role of the future King in seasons three and four of the Netflix smash series The Crown.

But he has hinted he is wracked with guilt over his performance, fearing he has not done justice to His Majesty the King.

Opening up to Vanity Fair, the Challengers actor said, "When I started working on Charles, I wasn't overly excited at the idea of playing a real person.

"The prospect of playing someone who exists, particularly someone who is present in our national psyche, was very daunting."

He continued, "With Charles, it was like, I did the research, everything that helps put together a script, but I never see it as having played Prince Charles."

Asked directly how he feels about his performance as the then Prince, O'Connor replied, "I just don't want to feel guilty. This is how I excuse myself."

The star is one of the celebrities to grace the cover of Vanity Fair's annual Hollywood issue and is profiled alongside his Challenges co-star Zendaya and her Euphoria co-star Sydney Sweeney.

Australian icon Nicole Kidman, Twisters actor Glen Powell, Marvel actress Zoe Saldana, British actor Dev Patel, Till actress Danielle Deadwyler, Wicked actor Jonathan Bailey, Dr Who actor Ncuti Gatwa and Swedish star Bill Skarsgard also feature on the cover - as does Thai rapper and actress Lisa.