Remembering when Queen Elizabeth II joined James Bond for an Olympic sketch with Daniel Craig

As the world bids farewell to Queen Elizabeth II we look at her memorable appearance at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics.
Gary Connery and Mark Sutton parachute into the stadium as part of short James Bond film featuring Daniel Craig and The Queen during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on July 27, 2012.Gary Connery and Mark Sutton parachute into the stadium as part of short James Bond film featuring Daniel Craig and The Queen during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on July 27, 2012.
Gary Connery and Mark Sutton parachute into the stadium as part of short James Bond film featuring Daniel Craig and The Queen during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on July 27, 2012.

It was the comedy sketch that stole the show at the dramatic opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics – masterminded by Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle.

The scene saw Daniel Craig’s James Bond calling at Buckingham Palace to accompany the Queen to the event, being greeted by the monarch sitting at a writing desk with the words “good evening Mr Bond”.

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A quick walk to a helicopter – accompanied by the royal corgis – then saw the pair soar over Britain’s capital and over the Olympic Stadium before the Queen appeared to parachute into the arena (a role played by a stunt double).

Moments later the real Queen, dressed identically to her high-flying stand-in, entered the stadium to huge applause.

Speaking to BB C Radio 4’s T oda y programme last week Frank Cottrell-Boyce, who co-wrote the Bond scene, as well as the more recent Platimum Jubilee sketch featuring the Queen and Paddington Bear, said that she needed little encouragment to get involved.

He explained: “We went to the Palace asking for permission to represent her and to know what she was wearing on the day, and it was her amazing dresser who said ‘No, no, she wants to be in it’. She was game and she was up for that.

“In fact on the day when we were filming, she asked Danny Boyle if she could have a line because there wasn’t a line in the script, probably because when I was typing the script I didn’t quite know how you would type the character of the Queen. What would you type?”

And Daniel Craig also plaid tribute to his royal co-star at the Toronto International Film Festival last week, saying: “What an incredible thing. We will not see the likes of her ever again. To be alive during her reign is something else. I’m very saddened, so I suppose good luck to Charles, really.”

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