'Royal Family kept in dark over Queen's Bond act at Games Opening Ceremony'
London, Oct 31(ANI)
London Olympics former head Lord Sebastian Coe has revealed in his autobiography that the Queen's extraordinary role at the Games' Opening Ceremony was such a closely guarded secret that even key members of the Royal Family were kept in the dark about it.
Lord Coe disclosed in his book how Prime Minister David Cameron played a pivotal role in negotiations about her potential acting debut after raising the idea during his weekly audience with the monarch.
But such was the secrecy surrounding her acting debut in a film, that her scenes with James Bond were known to only a handful of people while filming was kept secret from even senior members of the Royal Family.
The four-and-a-half minute film was set in her private study at Buckingham Palace, where she briefed 007, played by Daniel Craig, on a secret mission ahead of the Olympic
Games.
Writing in his autobiography in Running My Life, Lord Coe said none of the Royal Family knew about the Queen's involvement nor that the film even existed.
"So, when the sequence began, with the corgis racing up what were obviously very familiar stairs, Prince Charles looked at me and began laughing rather nervously, wondering where on earth this was going," the Telegraph quoted Lord Coe, as writing in his autobiography.
Lord Coe said that when the film cut to the back of the Queen, the Prince of Wales had exactly the same reaction as the rest of the world, which was to assume it was the lady who does the impersonations.
Lord Coe added: "But the moment she turned around, and everyone realised, 'my God! It really is the Queen!' he began roaring with laughter. As for his sons, they were beside themselves."
"As she started her descent two voices shouted out in unison behind me, 'go, Granny!' While I knew we had a winner, I have to admit that I was taken aback by the level of approval it did achieve," he further wrote.