If Queen Elizabeth II had a weakness, it was certainly her passion for James Bond. This is confirmed by the writer and television presenter, close to the Windsors, Gyles Brandreth. The former Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom and bestselling author Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait he remembers his precious conversations with the late queen, who told him about royal family holidays around the Scottish islands and of what, despite what one might believe, was the most awaited moment of the trip.
«He explained to me that when, in the summer, he went with his family to the Royal Yacht Britannia», Brandreth reported to Hello!«the greatest pleasure of the holiday was always seeing the new James Bond film in the cinema of the yacht.”
On the other hand, the queen has always shown great sympathy for 007. The English will never forget when Elizabeth II lent herself to play herself in the sketch for the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympicscreated by Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle.
In the short film, James Bond – Daniel Craig arrived at Buckingham Palace to escort the Queen to the event, and was greeted by Elizabeth, sitting at the desk, with the words: «Good evening Mr Bond». The two boarded a helicopter and, upon reaching their destination, at the London Stadium, the Queen (a stunt double, obviously) he jumped by parachute, with the epic soundtrack of the film in the background. Then Elizabeth returned to represent herself in the final part of the clip, when she entered the grandstand with Prince Consort Philippe. It was 2021.
Ten years later, in 2022, the Queen returned to acting as herself. For the Platinum Jubilee, had tea with Paddington Bearcreated by writer Michael Bond, who seemed blissfully ignorant of Palazzo etiquette.
Gyles explains that Her Majesty “relaxed” during her final years, while continuing to respect the protocol. «He followed the tradition like his father and mother did. But, as the years went by, we got a new sense of her, towards the end of her life, thanks to her with that wonderful Paddington sketch and the James Bond video.” Who knows if those clips would have existed if the Queen Mother had still been alive. «I don’t think so», explains Brandreth, «because she wouldn’t be sure her mother would approve».
Source: Vanity Fair
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