Royal Family’s most surprising TV appearances you may not be aware of

For the royal family, image is everything.

Sometimes, to further this image, members of the Crown let the public inside their homes, their personalities, or even their relationships with each other, through curated screen appearances.

While film has not really been the mandated medium through which the royal family has sought to express their creative side, television on the other hand has proved to be a secure outlet for such ventures over a number of years.

Take a look at the various times the royal family have visited the public right in their living rooms:

Queen Elizabeth’s coronation

Described by the BBC as “the event that did more than any other to make television a mainstream medium”, Queen Elizabeth was the first British monarch whose coronation was entirely televised.

The broadcast which aired live on June 2, 1953, was one of monarchy’s first attempts to match its steps with the pace of the modern world.

A triumphant viewing, the coronation’s telecast was reportedly Prince Philip’s idea and was blessed by the Queen herself, against the advice of her much senior team at the time.

Prince Philip on BBC’s ‘Panorama’

Decades before Princess Diana would shake the foundations of the royal family with her explosive interview on BBC’s Panorama, it was the Duke of Edinburgh who became the very first royal to sit down for a television interview, choosing to appear on the same show — albeit, in an appearance which was much less controversial and more to do with positive influence.

For the broadcast, the Queen’s husband was interviewed by prominent English journalist and host Richard Dimbleby to discuss the Commonwealth Technical Training Week.

The programme aired on May 29, 1961.

The Royal Family documentary

In 1969, another one of the Duke’s efforts towards modernising the monarchy did not go as well as the first two.

The royal family invited a BBC crew into Buckingham Palace for a whole year as they agreed to let their day-to-day lives be filmed for a documentary, which stretched to well over an hour.

Predicted by Princess Anne to be “an absolute total guaranteed failure”, the documentary eventually received extremely polarising reviews and has been permanently shelved by the BBC on the Queen’s orders.

Sarah Ferguson on ‘Friends’

The Duchess of York surprised TV audiences everywhere when she agreed to a cameo appearance on the iconic American sitcom Friends in 1998.

Appearing in the fourth season’s final episode when the Central Perk gang takes a trip to London for Ross’s wedding to his British fiancee, the Duchess was “coaxed into the appearance by her daughters”, per the book titled I’ll Be There for You: The One About Friends, written by Kelsey Miller.

“At a time when Fergie-bashing had become a national pastime, ‘Friends’ was a welcome relief,” the author noted.

King Charles on ‘Coronation Street’

Then the Prince of Wales, King Charles made a highly memorable appearance on one of the longest running British soap operas of all time, Coronation Street, in 2000.

Initially visiting the set to unveil the show’s 40th anniversary plaque, the current monarch ended up agreeing to step in front of the camera as well.

According to The Mirror, “The episode was broadcast on December 8, 2000 and the then Prince of Wales was seen on a news bulletin on the show”, where he interacted with the popular Coronation Street character, Audrey Roberts.

Prince Harry on X Factor UK

Born into the world he was, Prince Harry did not need a lesson on modernisation as he demonstrated through his casual and random appearance on the British talent show The X Factor.

Attending a taping of the show with his then girlfriend, Chelsy Davy, the Duke of Sussex was seen in the audience of the show’s season six finale.

Moreover, the Prince was reportedly a fan of the show and the episode which featured him aired in December 2010.

Queen Elizabeth’s James Bond sketch

Probably the most shocking royal TV cameo was when the Queen herself enthusiastically decided to participate in a skit for the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony which was held in London that year.

Accompanied by the then Bond actor, Daniel Craig, the late monarch stunned the audiences with her delightful turn as a Bond girl.

Director Danny Boyle later revealed the Palace’s response to an offer for joining the opening ceremony, as he revealed, “They came back and said ‘we’re delighted for you to do it, and Her Majesty would like to be in it herself.’”

Kate Middleton on CBeebies Bedtime Stories

The Princess of Wales showed her soft side on this popular BBC children’s programme in 2022, as she made an appearance to read the story titled The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark.

Her appearance on CBeebies aligned with Children’s Mental Health Week in the UK.

Describing her choice of book as an “encouraging story”, the future queen’s episode aired on February 13.