There’s been so much speculation about Meghan, Duchess of Sussex making a potential return to acting now she and Harry are back in the UK. However, she's not the only royal to have appeared on screen and we almost had a rather surprising cameo from Queen Camilla in Emmy winning TV show, Only Murders in the Building.
In a new interview, John Hoffman, the producer of the hugely popular series spoke about the upcoming sixth season being filmed in London. He told Vulture, "We almost got Camilla. I know it’s insane, but yes, there was a moment".
Sadly, it didn't come to pass, though this was reportedly not down to the Queen being unwilling. He claimed UK filming rules meant that they couldn’t make it happen.
Explaining how it all started to come together, he told the publication that he couldn’t quite believe it when he was told it wasn’t out of the realms of possibility that they could potentially book Her Majesty for an appearance.
"I was like, ‘Wait, what? Is that real?'" he laughed. "Then we kind of went down the road a little bit… I did pursue it a little bit, until I realised it’s going to be a whole thing".
By "whole thing", he meant the union rules that are in place while filming in the UK. With shooting reduced to strict ten-hour days, the logistics of getting Queen Camilla involved apparently proved too much.
Only Murders in the Building has landed several high profile appearances since its inception, with Meryl Streep, Paul Rudd, Renée Zellweger and Eva Longoria joining main cast members Selena Gomez, Steve Martin and Martin Short.
For the upcoming season, the show has moved from New York City to London, and with it, a number of British icons have joined the fun. Jennifer Saunders, Olivia Colman, Geri Halliwell-Horner, Simone Ashley and Jim Broadbent are just some of the UK stars set to appear in the new series.
And while Queen Camilla sadly won’t be joining them after all, it actually wouldn’t have been too far-fetched for her to agree. Her Majesty is known to be a fan of murder mysteries and has given her approval to appear as a character in one in the past.
Peter James’s 2025 novel, The Hawk is Dead sees Detective Superintendent Grace investigating after the royal trail derails and a sniper kills a trusted aide. Queen Camilla is also on board and is believed by many to have been the true target.
Author Peter previously told the BBC how he received approval from the Queen - who had reportedly told him in the past how much she loved his books - to use her as a character in his long-running series.
"I was aware that there was chaos in the palace due to renovations, and when I heard art was being moved, I saw an opportunity," the best-selling author explained. "I drafted a few lines and sent it to the palace, but the Queen loved it. It got signed off by Buckingham Palace communications."
It wouldn't be the first time Her Majesty had a brush with acting fame. In 2022, she and King Charles made a cameo appearance in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders. In the Platinum Jubilee themed episode, the residents of Albert Square were shocked when King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived in a car outside the iconic Queen Vic pub.
