WHO can forget Queen Elizabeth’s infamous appearance alongside Daniel Craig during a James Bond sketch at the London 2012 Olympics?
But what you might not remember is the host of other small screen cameos that members of the Royal Family has made over the years.
Queen Elizabeth II and Paddington Bear had cream tea together at Buckingham Palace as part of the late monarch’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations
King Charles made an appearance on EastEnders with Queen Consort Camilla in June
The Prince and Princess of Wales were joined by their children on The Big Night In in 2020
Sarah Ferguson, Prince Edward, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne on the short-lived It’s a Royal Knockout
Here, we run through some of our favourites.
King Charles
The Repair Shop, October 2022
The newly-crowned monarch filmed his appearance on The Repair Shop before the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, and his subsequent ascension to the throne.
In the appearance, to mark the BBC centenary, Charles asked the team to turn their skills to fix some antique items from Scotland’s Dumfries House.
The programme aired on Wednesday night.
EastEnders, June 2022
The King appeared alongside Queen Consort Camilla in the BBC soap back in June – as Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall – to mark Queen Elizabeth‘s Platinum Jubilee.
The pair was given a tour around Albert Square in the special episode, and showed their improvisational skills as they met some of the actors on the set.
MasterChef Australia, 2018
The monarch made a brief appearance on MasterChef Australia back in 2018, as the contestants were given the task of catering an event he attended.
However, as Charles wasn’t seen on screen actually eating any of the food, viewers were left wondering if he wasn’t allowed to be shown consuming food due to royal protocol.
Shakespeare Live, 2016
The then Prince Charles took to the stage as part of the Shakespeare Live cast back in 2016, alongside David Tennant, Benedict Cumberbatch and Judi Dench.
As they marked the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, Charles delivered the iconic “to be or not to be” line from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
Countryfile, 2013
To mark the 25th anniversary of Countryfile, Charles agreed to guest edit the programme and also appeared on the episode.
Speaking to presenter Julia Bradbury about his love of the outdoos, he said: “Walking is a terribly important thing for me, rather like some people need a cigarette, I need a walk.
“It’s riveting, by going for a walk I find it stimulates thinking and reflecting.
“So I spend my life stamping about and I have things I write down. That’s where the best thoughts come from.”
Coronation Street, December 2000
Before making an appearance in Walford, King Charles featured in a special live episode of Coronation Street back in 2000, to mark the ITV soap’s 40th anniversary.
Charles played himself for the pre-recorded appearance, and met Sue Nicholls’ character Audrey Roberts, before leaving a commemorative plaque which was later unveiled on the set.
Queen Elizabeth II
Paddington sketch, 2022
To celebrate her Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth took part in a sketch alongside Paddington Bear, as they had cream tea at Buckingham Palace.
The sweet exchange, during which the Queen pulled a marmalade sandwich out of her handbag, was watched by millions, and led to Paddington becoming something of a royal mascot upon the monarch’s death in September.
James Bond Olympics sketch, 2012
As she marked London hosting the 2012 Olympics, the late Queen Elizabeth showed her sense of humour by joining Daniel Craig for a comedy sketch that was shown during the Opening Ceremony.
After meeting Craig at Buckingham Palace, the pair travelled via helicopter to the Olympic stadium, at which point the Queen appeared to jump out of the helicopter and parachute into the venue.
The Prince and Princess of Wales
The Big Night In, 2020
Back in 2020, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, the Prince and Princess of Wales – or the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as they were known then – made an appearance alongside their children on BBC One’s The Big Night In.
Prince William first appeared in a Zoom sketch based on Blackadder, alongside Stephen Fry as Lord Melchett.
He, wife Catherine, and their three children were then seen standing in front of their Norfolk home, as they clapped for NHS workers.
A Berry Royal Christmas, 2019
The couple also appeared alongside celebrity chef Mary Berry to make their TV cooking debut in a festival special back in 2019.
Mary was seen joining the royal pair on a series of public engagements, before William and Catherine helped prepare some Christmas dinners for those volunteering with charities over the festive season.
The Princess of Wales
CBeebies Bedtime Stories, February 2022
The Princess made an appearance on the BBC children’s show back in February, as she read The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, to mark Children’s Mental Health Week.
She followed in the footsteps of other celebrities including Harry Styles, Tom Hiddleston and Elton John in reading for the programme.
Blue Peter, 2019
Catherine joined school children in an episode of Blue Peter back in 2019, as they did some pond dipping, den building and flower planting.
“Even a short amount of time – 10 to 15 minutes outside – makes a huge difference I think to both physical well-being but also to our mental well-being,” she said at the time.
Princess Anne
Countryfile, 2014
The Princess Royal marked the 50th anniversary of the Riding for the Disabled Association – for which she is an ambassador – with an interview on Countryfile.
Speaking to John Craven, Princess Anne spoke about the importance of using horses and ponies to help those with disabilities.
It’s a Royal Knockout, 1987
Princess Anne was also roped in when her brother Prince Edward came up with the idea of creating a royal version of popular TV competition It’s a Knockout.
Anne captained the red team, while Edward was in charge of the yellow team, Prince Andrew took the lead in the green team and his then-wife Sarah Ferguson chaired the red team.
The programme involved the royals and a host of celebrity guests – all wearing medieval costumes – taking on a series of physical challenges.
And despite the fact that Rowan Atkinson and Barbara Windsor hosted the show, it didn’t prove popular with viewers or critics, and was later axed.
Zara Tindall
Top Gear, July 2019
Zara Tindall was joined by husband Mike as they appeared on the motoring show back in 2019, challenging each other while racing around the track.
Despite teasing each other as they zoomed around, Mike ended up beating his wife by just one second.
Sarah Ferguson
Friends, 1998
The Duchess of York made an infamous appearance in the fourth season finale of US sitcom Friends, as she complimented Matt LeBlanc’s character Joey on his “dashing” Union Jack hat during their trip to London.
“Fergie baby,” a delighted Joey gushes as he captures the moment on his video camera.
According to reports, the duchess agreed to cameo on the programme because her daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, were such big fans of the show.
King Charles also made an appearance on The Repair Shop this week
