10 Times Royals Said “Yes” to Performing on Screens and Stages

Royals have tight schedules, and pursuing a career in acting as a side gig might not be on their priority list. Even though members of the monarchy rarely agree to appear on-screen alongside other stars, some of them played a role in a movie or TV show, and the Queen is no exception to that.

We at Bright Side were excited to find out that some royals appeared in many of our favorite movies, and we made a list of royal cameo appearances — and maybe you’ll find your favorites among them.

1. Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi

Princess Beatrice was the first member of the British royal family to appear in a non-documentary film. She made her film debut in a small cameo appearance in the movie, The Young Victoria, as one of Queen Victoria’s ladies in the making.

2. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

Prince William and Prince Harry shot a scene as stormtroopers in the last Star Wars film, The Last Jedi. The scene, however, didn’t make it into the film, because unfortunately, Prince William wasn’t the right height for it. The height of the stormtroopers had to be exactly 5’11’’ and Prince William was a bit taller than that.

3. Queen Elizabeth II and her corgis

The Queen, alongside her 2 corgis, appeared in a short intro film for the 2012 London Olympics, called The Arrival. In the movie, she personally invites Daniel Craig in the role of James Bond 007 to Buckingham Palace and requests his help in launching the games.

4. Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York

Sarah Ferguson made a special appearance on the hit sitcom, Friends, in 1998. She starred in the episode, “The One with Ross’s Wedding: Part 1” when Joey accidentally runs into Ferguson and takes his camcorder out to film himself standing next to the duchess.

5. Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

Kate Middleton appeared on a children’s television show, Blue Peter. She joined some school kids in examining wildlife in a pond, planting flowers, and building a den out of logs, urging children to spend 10 to 15 minutes playing outside as often as possible.

6. Prince Charles of Wales

Coronation Street is the world’s longest-running soap opera, clocking up 61 years on British TV screens. In 2000, for the show’s fortieth anniversary, Prince Charles made an appearance in the 4,945th episode, where he meets Audrey Roberts.

7. Anne, Princess Royal

Countryfile is a television program that reports on agricultural, rural, and environmental issues. Princess Anne appeared in one episode when she discussed some of the issues confronting the British countryside and gave a rare glimpse into her life on the estate.

8. Zara and Mike Tindal

The couple appeared on the Top Gear racecourse and tried their hand at racing around the closed track, while playfully teasing each other along the way. Zara drove a speedy red car and, at one point on the show, she sent the couple into the grass verge.

9. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and Lady Louise Windsor

As big fans of Strictly Come Dancing, the mother and daughter duo appeared in the front rows of the show and cheered on contestants as they clapped along with huge smiles. The surprise visit was to celebrate Lady Louise’s fifteenth birthday, and she revealed that it was a treat to come to the show.

10. Diana, Princess of Wales

The extraordinary scene in season 4 of The Crown when Princess Di danced on stage to “Uptown Girl” really did happen. When she and Prince Charles attended the charity gala at the Royal Opera House in London, Diana slipped out of the royal box and joined the Royal Ballet dancer, Wayne Sleep, on stage.

Have you seen other movies or shows where royals made a cameo appearance?