Royal Family had no idea about the Queen's Bond sketch during London 2012 Olympics, Princess Eugenie says

The family was left in the dark about Queen Elizabeth II's iconic appearance
Princess Eugenie
PA Archive
Miriam Burrell21 October 2023

The Royal Family had no idea about the late Queen's iconic appearance in a James Bond sketch which aired at the London 2012 Olympics, Princess Eugenie has revealed.

She said "nobody knew" about her late grandmother "skydiving" into the Olympic Stadium as part of the filmed sketch, alongside Bond actor Daniel Craig.

Speaking on the White Wine Question Time podcast hosted by Kate Thornton, the 33-year-old said "it was amazing" to see Queen Elizabeth II joined by Craig in Buckingham Palace as he collected the former monarch and her Corgis for a special mission.

"We were all surprised," Princess Eugenie added.

The mother-of-two praised her grandmother's sense of humour and work ethic, and described how she had been a big influence in Princess Eugenie's life.

"She was just one of the best people in the world," she explained.

"Her sense of duty and dedication and her love of her people, it really happened in public like you all saw, and it happened in private with us.

"We learnt how to do things from her as well, how to talk to people, how to stay strong and dutiful and kind, she really instilled in us."

On her family, Eugenie revealed her closeness with her older sister, Princess Beatrice, and mother, Sarah Ferguson.

The royal revealed she calls her sister for "nearly everything" and praised her mother's charitable work.

"She's founded a charity herself and built schools and went around the world... her example is definitely something I live by," she added.

Earlier this week Princess Eugenie interviewed former prime minister Theresa May on her own podcast, Floodlight.

She visited Mrs May in her parliamentary office in the House of Commons for The Anti-Slavery Collective’s podcast to mark Anti-Slavery Day.

Mrs May, who is on the advisory board of Eugenie’s charity, has dedicated much of her political career to tackling slavery in the UK and overseas, but warned the situation was getting worse.

The former Tory leader, who launched a new Global Commission for Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking earlier this month, discussed how traffickers were targeting displaced people from Ukraine.

"It’s not just the political momentum has gone out, the problem’s got worse. And we saw in the conflict in Ukraine … the traffickers just picking people up,” she said.

In May Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank welcomed their son Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank.

Ernest’s middle name Ronnie pays tribute to Sarah Ferguson’s father Major Ronald Ferguson, the former royal polo manager, who died in 2003.

Eugenie’s eldest son is called August.

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