When people think out British people and their culture, the first thing that usually comes to mind is the royal family. Not surprising, considering the fact that the country was solely ruled by royalty for centuries before turning to a parliamentary style of government.
But, the royal family isn’t the only quintessentially British icon in the world’s memory. Although a fictional character, spy extraordinaire James Bond is also often tied with the country’s popular culture.
And recently, these two different worlds collided when Prince Charles, heir apparent to the throne, met Daniel Craig, the actor who’s currently playing Bond.
Spying on Bond
According to reports, the Prince recently paid the James Bond filming set in Pinewood Studios a visit. There he met and conversed with the upcoming film’s actors and director. He also got a tour of the movie’s set from no other than Craig himself.
The latest Bond film still remains untitled. But judging from the photos of the sets, some are speculating that the 25th James Bond installment may be partly set in Cuba. The film is set to be released in April 2020 after various disruptions delayed its premiere.
Also on the set is actress Naomie Harris, who showed Prince Charles how to listen in on one of the scenes they were shooting. Meanwhile, Ralph Fiennes, who replaced Judy Dench as the secret service head M, also shook hands with the Prince.
Film Patron
Don’t expect the Prince to make a film cameo though. The 70-year-old royal only made the visit as part of his duties as patron of the British Film Institute and the British intelligence services.
Still, Prince Charles seemed to be quite interested in how the shoot was coming along. He even asked one set crew if they had ‘any more things blowing up’ and if they were experiencing any delays. This is reportedly a reference to one set accident that left one person injured.
But this isn’t the only setback the production has experienced. It can be remembered that main star Craig suffered a serious injury while shooting and had to get surgery before filming can resume again.
Along with the pulling out of director Danny Boyle from the project, the incident further stalled progress for the film.
Brush with Royalty
The visit isn’t really Craig’s first brush with royalty though.
During the 2012 Olympic Games in London, he and Queen Elizabeth II starred together in an opening spoof sequence. In the scene directed by Boyle, the Queen is seen meeting with Bond in the Buckingham Palace and then skydiving into a stadium to announce the beginning of the games.
Although Craig really did shoot with the Queen for the walking sequences, Boyle got a stunt double for the more risque part of the $34 million production.