The Royals’ favourite films and TV shows revealed – including the programme Camilla is ‘addicted to’
After a long day, sometimes there is nothing better than coming home, switching on the television and snuggling up to watch a favourite film or television show.
Even the royal family has their favourites, some which might surprise you.
The late Queen loved Corrie, the Princess of Wales is a huge fan of Strictly Come Dancing and Prince George used to watch The Lion King on repeat when he was younger.
Camilla, Queen Consort, loved The Killing so much she specifically asked to visit the set of The Killing at the end of their week-long royal tour.
And Prince William’s well-known obsession with the Lord of the Rings is one he hopes to pass on to his children, who he took to visit the new series Rings of Power.
The late Queen loved ITV’s Coronation Street, making two visits to the set and meeting the cast over her lifetime, once in 1982 and again in 2021. Pictured: Queen Elizabeth meeting William Roache, Barbara Knox, Sue Nicholls and Helen Worth during a visit to the set of the longest running television series, Coronation Street in July 2021
The King and Queen Camilla: The Killing and Poldark
In 2012, the now King Charles and his wife Queen Camilla gave an insight into what television show they had been binging.
On the final day of engagements of their eight-day tour of Scandinavia, the couple paid a royal visit to the set of The Killing, just outside Copenhagen.
At the time a Clarence House spokeswoman confirmed that the tour was a specific request of Camilla, who was a fan of the show.
Speaking at the set, she confessed: ‘I’m an addict. I’m so excited by this.’
Upon their trip, they met stars of the show, including Danish actress Sofie Gråbøl, who said it was ‘surreal’ but ‘lovely’ that the British royals were so eager to visit.
In 2012, Camilla and Charles paid a visit to the set of the Danish TV series The Killing, on the last day of the Diamond Jubilee Tour across the Nordic countries. Pictured: Camilla with the show’s star Sofie Gråbøl
While she was on the set, Camilla confessed: ‘I’m an addict. I’m so excited by this.’ Clarence House later confirmed it was the Queen Consort’s request to visit the set. Pictured: Sofie Gråbøl playing Sarah Lund
At a reception for the couple, the series’ creator, Søren Sveistrup, said: ‘The King had told me it was Camilla who introduced him to The Killing.
‘He said it was one of the only things they could agree on seeing together.’
The pair were also a fan of the BBC series Poldark, a popular period drama based on the books of Winston Graham, starring Aidan Turner and Eleanor Tomlinson who played the show’s fiery couple.
Charles and Camilla made another set visit, giving the show the royal seal of approval back in 2018 when they visited Fowey in Cornwall.
He revealed he watched the show while in the bookshop Bookends of Fowey.
The then Prince of Wales said at the time: ‘What I can’t get over watching that Poldark stuff on TV is how many he wrote.’
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip: Corrie, The Kumars at No 42 and… The Royle Family
Following the death of the Queen in 2022, Prince William and Prince Harry’s former press secretary Ed Perkins told Good Morning Britain the late monarch ‘had a lot of boxsets’ and loved ITV’s Coronation Street.
Her love of the show, which has millions of viewers across Britain each week, even led her to visit the set of Coronation Street on a number of occasions.
The Queen made her first trip to the set of Coronation Street in 1982. Today, production takes place at a new outdoor set at Media City UK in Manchester
Her first trip to the land of the serial drama, now based at Media City UK in Manchester, was in 1982 when it first moved production to a new outdoor set.
Then in 2021, as the show was celebrating its 60th anniversary, the Queen visited the set once again, branding the long-running show ‘remarkable’ before adding that the programme was ‘part of the fabric’ of society.
Upon the trip she met stars Bill Roache, who plays Ken Barlow, Barbara Knox, who plays Rita, and Helen Worth, who plays Gail.
Another British television show the Queen was said to love was The Kumars at No 42, being a particular fan of the grandmother in the show Meera Syal.
Phil Jones, a former BBC journalist revealed that the monarch could ‘recite some of the one-liners from the grandma character in the Kumars at No. 42.
The hit series, featured a British Indian family – with Sanjeev Bhaskar as the son, Indira Joshi and Vincent Ibrahim as his parents and Syal as the grandmum.
British stars and famous Hollywood names featured as guests on the series, which took on the format of a chat show set in the Kumars’ home. It was first broadcast in 2001 and ran for seven series.
The late Duke of Edinburgh was a fan of the British sitcom The Royle Family, according to the show’s star Ricky Tomlinson
Ricky – who played the loud mouthed father, Jim Royle, told the story to his Royle co-star Ralf Little as they filmed their Gold show, Ricky and Ralf’s Very Northern Road Trip. Pictured: The Royle Family’s Christmas special in 1999
The late Duke of Edinburgh was a fan of the British sitcom The Royle Family, according to the show’s star Ricky Tomlinson.
The Queen outed her husband when she told a charity fundraiser and Ricky lookalike Will Williams that Philip enjoyed the BBC comedy.
Ricky – who played the loud mouthed father, Jim Royle, told the story to his Royle co-star Ralf Little as they filmed their Gold show, Ricky and Ralf’s Very Northern Road Trip.
The 83-year-old previously said: ‘I told you about my lookalike, his name’s Will and he’s from mid-Wales.
‘He does a lot of charity work and he got a medal in Caernarfon Castle off the Queen.
‘And as she’s putting the medal on his coat, she’s said to him, “I don’t watch your programme, but my husband loves it”.’
The Prince and Princess of Wales: The Lord of the Rings, Strictly Come Dancing and Suits
The Prince and Princess of Wales have revealed an array of television shows and films that are watched in their household over the years.
Earlier this year, in his tell-all memoir Spare, the Duke of Sussex claimed his brother and sister-in-law were ‘religious’ fans of Suits before they found out he was dating Meghan Markle.
Harry said his brother and Kate’s mouths ‘fell open’ in shock when he told them he was dating the Suits actress.
The Prince, who has been BAFTA’s patron for over a decade, also gave a speech, where he revealed, ‘I felt quite underdressed when stood in front of those Killing Eve costumes.’ Pictured: The Prince making his speech in 2022
Patrick J Adams who played Mike in the hit series Suits with Meghan Markle who played Rachel
The revelation could mean extra pressure was placed on the Prince and Princess of Wales’ first meeting with Meghan if they sat through her sex scenes, which Harry has also admitted he should ‘never have watched’.
Meanwhile, Prince William also previously praised Downton Abbey, calling it ‘one of Catherine’s and my favorite programmes’ in a tribute to the show when he gave a speech hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
The Princess of Wales (then Duchess of Cambridge) was such a huge fan that she visited the cast and crew at Ealing Studios back in March 2015, when she was eight months pregnant with Princess Charlotte.
Kate was spotted excitedly peeking into the makeup trailer and also had a look inside the costume department.
Back in 2019, the Prince of Wales revealed that he’s a big fan of BBC’s show Killing Eve.
The unexpected information was revealed when William opened BAFTAs’ venue in Piccadilly and launched the Behind the Screens exhibition.
During the outing, the father of three viewed a variety of scripts and costumes from TV programs and movies. In fact, he even met with producer Sally Woodward Gentle and costume designer Phoebe de Gaye.
The Prince, who has been BAFTAs patron for over a decade, also gave a speech, where he revealed, ‘I felt quite underdressed when stood in front of those Killing Eve costumes.’
The Princess of Wales poses with cast, crew and producers of Downton Abbey in 2015
The Princess of Wales and her mother Carole Middleton are also huge fans of Strictly Come Dancing, William revealed a few years ago.
Speaking to Strictly judge Shirley Ballas and host Claudia Winkleman at a charity gala in 2019, the Duke of Cambridge explained: ‘I have watched the show a couple of times.’
He then revealed that Catherine is a huge fan and my mother-in-law loves it.
Prince William himself is a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings, with Martin Freeman previously revealing how much the royal love JRR Tolkien’s work and knew all the facts about Middle-Earth.
It is a love that he hopes to pass on to his children, taking Prince George, nine and Princess Charlotte, seven to meet the cast of The Rings of Power.
They were introduced to the major cast members and were shown around the set at a forest in Buttersteep Rise in Ascot whilst Prince Louis stayed at home.
The filming was for a second series of the Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power.
Prince William revealed Prince George was a fan of classic Disney movies back in 2017.
Prince George liked to use his screen time for some more kid-friendly viewing, specifically The Lion King.
The interview, posted on Twitter by Rhiannon Mills of Sky News, was conducted by a young boy, who asked Prince William about his son’s favorite shows to watch.
Among a list of other adorable shows and movies, Prince William revealed that Prince George loved The Lion King even though his tastes have probably now matured to more grown up shows.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex: The Newsroom, Mad Men and Jeopardy!
As an actress she definitely knows good television. Meghan Markle revealed in 2013 in Good House Keeping that, on the list of shows she loved to binge watch, Mad Men was at the top.
This was a drama about one of New York’s most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s, focusing on one of the firm’s most mysterious but extremely talented ad executives, Don Draper.
She also added The Newsroom to her list, which is an American political drama series created and written by Aaron Sorkin.
The Duchess also used to love watching the reality TV show The Real Housewives but admitted it is no longer something she switches on. She said that she stopped craving ‘other people’s drama’ when her own life became turbulent
Meghan Markle revealed in 2013 in Good House Keeping that, on the list of shows she loved to binge watch, Mad Men was at the top
Growing up, the Duchess loved the quiz show Jeopardy!, she revealed on her podcast Archetype.
She said: ‘I would eat my dinner on a TV tray in front of the screen, watching each category with bated breath and intense focus trying to absorb whatever facts they were firing off in the form of a question.’
Prince Harry also admitted in 2021 that he is a fan of the show. He told James Corden’s The Late, Late Show: ‘Meg might cook a meal, we might order a takeaway, go upstairs, sit in bed, turn the TV on, watch some Jeopardy, maybe watch a little bit of Netflix.’
The Duchess also used to love watching the reality TV show The Real Housewives but admitted it is no longer something she switches on.
She explained, while speaking with presenter Andy Cohen on her podcast, she stopped craving ‘other people’s drama’ when her own life became turbulent.
Princess Diana: When Harry Met Sally
Princess Diana was a huge rom-com fan. One of the favourites was the 1989 Meg Ryan/Billy Crystal classic, When Harry Met Sally.
Princess Diana was a huge rom-com fan. One of her favourites was the 1989 Meg Ryan/Billy Crystal classic, When Harry Met Sally
Apparently Princess Diana was laughing loudly at the famous Meg Ryan ‘orgasm’ scene. Nora Ephron credited Meg Ryan not only with the idea of faking an orgasm in the famous restaurant scene, but also with the idea of setting it in a restaurant in the first place
She famously attended the film’s 1989 royal premiere in London wearing a long red Catherine Walker dress.
She was introduced to Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid (Ryan was dating him at the time) and Billy Crystal whom she was sitting next to during the screening.
Apparently she was laughing loudly at the famous Meg Ryan ‘orgasm’ scene.
Diana was such a fan of the film, she even arranged to have a private screening for her friends at Buckingham Palace.
