Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

The Queen did not tell the royal family about her James Bond Olympics skit with Daniel Craig

Sketch aired as part of the 2012 opening ceremony

Annabel Nugent
Tuesday 19 April 2022 01:49 EDT
Comments
James Bond escorts the Queen to the London 2012 Olympics

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The Queen kept her James Bond Olympics skit a secret from her family.

Queen Elizabeth II starred opposite Daniel Craig in a funny sketch that aired during the London 2012 Summer Olympics.

On a recent episode of BBC Radio Four’s show The Reunion, host Kirsty Wark spoke with members of the production team behind the event’s opening ceremony, which featured the sketch.

The skit sees Craig’s 007 escoting the Queen to the London Olympic Stadium.

“The queen never told her family she was doing it. That was one of the stipulations when she agreed to be part of it,” production stage manager Sam Hunter told Wark.

“So if you actually see when she comes and she takes her seat, you can see her family go, ‘Ah, nice one.’”

The production team also had to keep the secret from some members of the government.

“What was hard was that you didn’t really want to say much to the cabinet because you didn’t know how secure they were,” said executive-producer Stephen Daldry.

Earlier this year, Craig opened up the details of their meeting during an appearance on The Late Show.

The actor specifically recalled a “very funny” joke that the royal cracked at his expense.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in