The world enjoyed the surreal combination of the Prince of Wales photographed alongside 007 himself, Daniel Craig, when the heir to the throne went to visit the James Bond film set at Pinewood Studios in June this year.
What wasn’t revealed at the time – was that Prince Charles was invited to star in the upcoming film, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga.
Of course, it’s not the first time that royalty and Bond have linked up. Lest we forget the starring role the Queen played in Danny Boyle’s London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony. The clip saw Bond, played by Daniel Craig, head to Buckingham Palace to collect the Queen. Together they helicoptered to the Olympic Park, when the Queen, played by an uncanny stunt double, parachuted heroically to the ground – then, aged 86.
A source close to the production team praised HRH Prince Charles. ‘He is the epitome of everything British, perfect for a cameo role and Bond fans worldwide would absolutely love it.’ In an interview with The Sun, who first ran the story, the source explained that ‘the producers are desperate to sign him’.
It is hoped that the Prince will have the ‘Midas’ touch on the film that has so far been plagued with issues; from the departure of Danny Boyle as director (who quit in August last year) to the injury to Daniel Craig’s ankle that forced him to undergo surgery in May.
The next in line for the throne wore a tie decorated with speed boats and palm trees for his trip to the set – what Barbara Broccoli, the films executive producer, considered a nod to the Jamaican location for the film. The film still awaits a name, but with a Prince Charles cameo in the mix, anticipation is set to escalate.
