Shameless star made OBE says Prince of Wales joked about her playing Elizabeth I
Ms Duff, 54, played Fiona Gallagher in Channel 4's Shameless TV show and won a best supporting actress Bafta for her role as Grace Williams in Apple TV's series Bad Sisters.
The actor also performed as Elizabeth I in the 2005 to 2006 BBC dramatisation of the monarch's life, titled The Virgin Queen.
Discussing that role led William to joke 'this should all be old hat for you, or something' during Wednesday's ceremony at Windsor Castle, Ms Duff said.
The actor spoke to the PA news agency inside the Berkshire royal residence after being formally made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to drama.
Asked if the event had been as expected having played Elizabeth I, she said: '(Windsor Castle) is like a treasure chest, isn't it? Because every piece of every room is swollen with history and art and value, so it's very specific.
'To be in this environment where people do live and do sit down and have their dinner and all of those things – you know, when you're on location, you don't really have that feeling of something like that, but this is someone's home, which is just extraordinary to me.'
The Virgin Queen was not filmed at royal residences for security reasons, she said.
Ms Duff lives in north London and has a son with her former husband and Shameless co-star James McAvoy.
She said she and the Prince of Wales discussed balancing work and parenting and 'how we're all kind of the same'.
Her next guaranteed job is not until 2026 and she said she cannot talk about other projects that may pop up before then.
'There's so much nonsense now, you can't even read scripts now without NDAs (non-disclosure agreements)', she said.
'The streamers are like old Hollywood studios, it's like that, it's so bonkers, so you don't get to sort of enjoy the prelude to things with people – you can't say, oh my god, yeah, I'm going to be doing (this). You have to keep everything on the down-low.'
She laughed as she said: 'I would love to tell you, Your Royal Highness, but … '
'There are snipers everywhere, that's what it feels like, seriously, the walls have ears', she added.
Ms Duff said a play would be the 'juiciest' next project for her because she prefers the 'communion with people' in theatre, as well as the immediacy and 'being in charge of the chronology'.
She said she discussed her preference for the stage with William.
She told PA: 'If a light bulb blows, we still go on. It's all of that and the jeopardy of it – when things go wrong, you become so resourceful and having each other's back as a company.'
Asked how she felt after being formally made an OBE, Ms Duff said: 'Fabulous, really lucky. You never imagine that – I think especially for people who work in the arts – you never really have a sense of what you do as having a great deal of importance or being a contribution to anything.
'You're just so busy working away. It feels extraordinary to be recognised.'
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