The Queen ‘had helicopter preferences’ for James Bond skit

Buckingham Palace: Crowds gather to mourn the Queen

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Earlier this month, Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022. The incredible monarch served for 70 years and achieved a lot during that time – including hanging out with Bond, James Bond.

She joined Daniel Craig in the now iconic 2012 Olympics opening ceremony skit where she (a body double) jumped out of a helicopter into the Olympic stadium.

During pre-production for the unprecedented event, Her Majesty was heavily involved in how the skit should look, according to one of the writers.

Frank Cottrell-Boyce worked alongside Danny Boyle to bring this James Bond event to life for the Olympics.

In a new interview on BBC 5 Live Radio, he explained that the Queen specifically wanted to choose the type of vehicle she would “jump out of”.

He said: “We took the storyboards in to show her and she had comments to make about what kind of helicopter should be used.”

Boyce noted that the Queen had extensive military knowledge that she was not afraid of utilising.

So when it came to the scene where she and Bond flew across London and under a bridge in a helicopter, she had already figured out how it should work.

He said: “She knew what kind of helicopters could feasibly fly under the Tower Bridge, which is really funny.”

This wasn’t the only part of the story that the Queen had a hand in creating.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/1AS-dCdYZbo

Originally, the Queen did not have any lines in the short film.

Instead, Bond would simply walk in, escort her out, and get in the helicopter.

Boyce said: “I didn’t give her a line, partly because I didn’t know how to type ‘the Queen says.'”

But on the day, Her Majesty was eager to get involved in some light acting.

Boyce recalled: “On the day she asked for a line. She said to Danny [Boyle]: ‘I think I should have a line.’ So she built her own part – she really wanted to do it.”

The Queen also suggested that she should be writing something at her desk when Bond walked into the room.

What’s more, the monarch kept her part hidden from those closest to her in order to surprise everyone watching the opening ceremony live.

Sam Hunter, the production manager on set, said: “The Queen never told her family she was doing it.”

They added: “That was one of the stipulations when she agreed to be part of it.”

Just a few years after starring alongside James Bond, she worked with another major Hollywood star: Paddington.

She joined the fictional bear to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

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