Her love of Strictly Come Dancing is well known, but it seems Queen Camilla has varied taste in TV shows after she revealed she’s watched the first season of Netflix bonkbuster Bridgerton.
The period drama, known for its passionate romantic scenes, may seem like a surprising choice for the king’s wife. Yet she will certainly resonate with the themes of high society and grandeur.
Camilla revealed she watched ‘the first part’ of the hit series when she attended the Chelsea Flower Show in London yesterday alongside 75-year-old King Charles, as he continues his return to public duties amid his cancer diagnosis .
The Queen toured a majestic ‘Bridgerton’ garden, designed by Holly Johnston and inspired by Penelope Featherington from the hit show (played by Nicola Coughlan) when she made the confession.
It’s not the only Netflix show the royal family has apparently watched; the royal family is ‘certainly’ watching The Crown, according to the King’s former communications director, who also admitted the series does not ‘pique’ His Majesty’s interest.
Camilla’s choice in streaming services and shows may be surprising to some, given Netflix’s support of Prince Harry and The Crown portraying the tampongate scandal.
Her love of Strictly Come Dancing is well known, but it seems Queen Camilla (pictured at the Chelsea Flower Show yesterday) has varied taste in TV shows after revealing she has finished the first season of Netflix bonkbuster Bridgerton seen
The intimate bedtime conversation between Charles, then Prince of Wales, and Camilla was recorded by an amateur radio enthusiast who claimed to have come across the couple’s conversation in 1989 while switching between audio channels.
During the conversation, widely referred to as ‘tampongate’, the then-prince referred to his reincarnation as the tampon brand Tampax, and told Camilla he wanted to ‘live inside her’.
The audio recording, along with a transcript of the six-minute conversation, was sold to a tabloid and published. It was redistributed by The People in 1993, following Prince Charles and Diana’s divorce.
Netflix bosses have been accused of making the ‘clumsy’ and ‘poor taste’ decision to air the infamous conversation that sparked a royal scandal, according to reports The Telegraph.
But it appears The Crown’s portrayal of Charles and Camilla’s relationship hasn’t put the Queen off watching the programme, according to Kristina Kyriacou, who advised the monarch when he was the Queen. Prince of Wales between 2009 and 2016.
Speaking on This Morning in November 2022, she said the explicit phone call between Charles and Camilla would have been painful for the family.
She told the ITV programme: ‘I think the Queen Consort would definitely have watched it… [she] keeps in touch with her family, her friends, it’s a huge series.’
It’s not the only Netflix show the royal family has apparently watched; the royal family is ‘certainly’ watching The Crown, according to the King’s former communications director, who also admitted the series does not ‘pique’ His Majesty’s interest. Pictured is Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker-Bowles
Bridgerton (pictured), known for its passionate romantic scenes, may seem a surprising choice for the king’s wife. Yet she will certainly resonate with the themes of high society and grandeur
Camilla said she watched the first season of Bridgerton, starring Phoebe Dynevor as Daphne and Rege-Jean Page as the Duke.
‘I don’t think the king will have time for that. I don’t think it’s a program that will pique his interest.”
Ms Kyriacou added: “It is a one-sided story that is thirty years old. Out of respect for his ex-deceased wife and children, he would never talk about that situation.
‘It is a dialogue fueled by speculation. It doesn’t do anyone any good to keep repeating things.’
It came after a royal expert said last month that the queen ‘watches The Crown’ with a stiff drink.
Katie Nicholl told Talk TV: ‘I think it’s good for her because she looks at it and takes it in the spirit in which it was intended, which is with a big grain of salt.’
Camilla isn’t the only royal watching The Crown, with Prince Harry previously revealing he watches the show and reportedly even checks the facts.
The 39-year-old Duke of Sussex, who has been estranged from his father and brother Prince William since leaving royal life, made the announcement during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2023.
“Yes, I’ve actually seen The Crown,” Harry — who has a production deal with Netflix that’s reportedly worth $100 million — told Colbert after the late-night host asked if he’d seen the series. “The older stuff and the more recent stuff.”
Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker-Bowles, Dominic West as Prince Charles in the fifth season of The Crown
Harry then burst out laughing and pretended to take notes as Colbert wondered if he “fact-checked” the show – before admitting, “Yes, I actually do.”
He then suggested that The Crown does not provide a fully factual version of events, before pointing to his impressive memoir Spare as a clear example of accuracy, saying: “That’s why it’s so important that history gets it right.”
Netflix not only includes The Crown and Bridgerton, but also the Sussexes’ bombshell 2022 Netflix documentary ‘Harry & Meghan.’
The series includes a series of revelations and allegations about Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, how the couple met, their first dates, ‘unconscious bias’ in the royal family and why the Sussexes ‘had to quit’ their royal duties in March 2020, causing the House collapsed. of Windsor in crisis.
Meanwhile, the fractured relationship between Prince Harry and Queen Camilla came to light after the duke claimed in his book Spare last January that his stepmother leaked stories about the royal family to the media to boost her image.
He also branded her “dangerous” and a “villain” and claimed she “sacrificed him” to improve her reputation.
Three months after the book’s publication, an aide told The Sunday Times of Camilla’s reaction to Harry’s claims: “It wasn’t stamping feet or grinding teeth – it was much more of an eye-rolling response.”
Camilla’s close friend Fiona Shelburne, Lady Lansdowne, also told the newspaper: ‘Of course it bothers her, of course it hurts.
‘But she doesn’t let it get to her heart. Her philosophy is always: ‘Don’t make a big deal of it, and you will be fine, at least the quickest to recover.’
Camilla speaks with Prince Harry at Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Color in June 2015
Charles, Camilla and Harry watch a flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace in July 2005
But Netflix’s close relationship with Prince Harry hasn’t stopped Camilla from watching the streaming service.
The Queen revealed yesterday that she watched the first season of Bridgerton after touring a garden inspired by the hit series at the Chelsea Flower Show.
While exploring the garden, Camilla admitted that she loves a bit of guilty TV watching and has watched the opening series – which is famous for its racy series.
Speaking about the show, she revealed, “I watched the first part.”
The Queen’s first season of 2020 featured Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and the Duke of Hastings (Rege-Jean Page) as leads, capturing the hearts of viewers with swoon-worthy scenes and stunning attention to detail.
Meanwhile, Channel 4’s royal family parody The Windsors is also said to be “very popular” at the palace, according to Rebecca English, editor-in-chief of The Daily Mail.
She tweeted in 2020: “I can’t tell you how funny this show is. Very sharp and well substantiated. All the images are mind-bogglingly funny (Princess Anne is a hoot). Definitely worth a watch and a giggle. It is also very popular in the palace.’