EastEnders welcomed The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall to the set on Thursday, March. 31, where they met the cast and crew of the long-running soap.
Their Royal Highnesses watched the EastEnders cast film special scenes that featured the Walford residents celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee at a street party, just as those around the nation will be celebrating this summer.
During the special visit, the pair met the cast of the BBC soap, including Steve McFadden (Phil Mitchell), Rudolph Walker (Patrick Trueman), Perry Fenwick (Billy Mitchell), Kellie Bright (Linda Carter), Danny Dyer (Mick Carter), Tameka Empson (Kim Fox), Natalie Cassidy (Sonia Fowler) and Gillian Taylforth (Kathy Beale) to name just a few.
Walford’s very own soap royalty Letitia Dean (Sharon Watts) also welcomed The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall to Walford.
The Duchess of Cornwall also spoke to long-standing cast member Gillian Taylforth about how she has been in the show since the very first episode and Strictly Come Dancing winner Rose Ayling-Ellis, where she revealed that the Royal family watched the show and supported her journey on the show.
Meanwhile, The Prince of Wales shared his EastEnders knowledge with Perry Fenwick and Emma Barton (Honey Mitchell) as he explained how he knew that the couple were no longer together on screen.
Another very special moment was shared during their visit as the royal couple joined the cast and crew for a photograph where The Prince of Wales kindly lent his coat to Letitia Dean after noticing how cold she was.
Talking about the once-in-a-lifetime moment, Letitia said: “Today was a very special day for all at EastEnders. As a company, we are all incredibly proud of the show we make but to have a visit from the Royal family makes it all the more special.
“To have the opportunity to mark the Queen’s upcoming Platinum Jubilee with a visit from The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall was just beautiful and it will go down in EastEnders history but it was made all the more special for me when The Prince of Wales handed me his coat to keep me warm — what a gentleman, what a couple, what as we say in EastEnders a proper family.”
Chris Clenshaw, Executive Producer also commented: “We at EastEnders are all so incredibly grateful that The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall came to visit EastEnders as we filmed our special episode that shows the residents of Albert Square celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, just as those around the country will be doing this summer.
“We cannot thank them enough for taking the time to come to Walford, this is one moment that will go down in EastEnders history as we all celebrate 70 years of Her Majesty’s reign. Today was truly an honour.”
As a farewell gift, their Royal Highnesses were presented with a signed Albert Square sign from the cast and sent off with an enthusiastic cheer.
EastEnders now airs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7:30 pm on BBC One — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on BBC iPlayer now.
