Top 7 times royals were on TV - Harry and William's secret film role is No.3

The Royal Family are no strangers to the small screen.

We're used to seeing the Royal Family on our TV screens, whether it's at the annual Christmas speech or special events. The British monarchy has inspired some of the most popular films and TV shows in the 21st century, most recently thanks to Netflix's hit series The Crown. But their relationship with film and TV changed somewhat when Prince Harry married Hollywood actress Meghan Markle in 2017.

Despite leaving her acting career behind to pursue humanitarian work, the former Suits star has crept back onto our screens over the years. Most recently, that has included her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, and her appearance on MasterChef Australia during her trip Down Under this Spring.

But she's not the only Royal to step in front of the camera and test the waters of the acting world. As Harry and Meghan eye up their next Hollywood venture, Express.co.uk revisits some of the most unexpected royal appearances in films and TV shows.

In 1987, Prince Edward roped in his sister Anne, and brother Andrew and his then-wife Sarah Ferguson when they came up with the idea of creating a royal version of the popular TV competition, It's a Knockout. Anne captained the red team with Sarah, while Edward led the yellow team, and Andrew was in charge of the green team.

The programme featured the royals and a host of celebrity guests, all in medieval costumes, as they took on a series of physical challenges. Despite the fact that Rowan Atkinson and Barbara Windsor hosted the TV spectacular, the programme failed to resonate with viewers or critics and was later axed.

Top Gear returned with a bang in 2016, hosted by a carousel of presenters like Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc. The BBC motoring show is used to welcoming Hollywood royalty onto the show to put their driving skills to the test on the infamous race course. But in 2019, they welcomed two members of the Royal Family onto the show.

Zara Tindall and her husband Mike challenged each other to see who could complete a lap of the course the fastest. Despite teasing each other as they zoomed around the course, the former rugby player beat his wife by just one second. Their involvement brought much-needed attention to the show, but ultimately, the show's downfall was Freddie Flintoff's horrific car crash in 2022.

In October 2022, King Charles filmed his appearance on The Repair Shop before the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and his subsequent ascension to the throne. In the surprising appearance to mark the BBC's centenary, Charles asked the team to put their crafty skills to good use to fix some antiques from Scotland's Dumfries House.

It was heartwarming to see the King walking through the craft barn with a cup of tea in hand as he discussed some of their impressive work over the years. This was a great introduction to the senior royal households in Britain as the new King of England.

In 1998, Sarah Ferguson hit the headlines when she made an infamous appearance in the fourth series finale of the beloved US sitcom, Friends. The American clan jetted across the pond for Ross' wedding to Emily, but before their nuptials, Matt's character, Joey, took in the sights as he tourist-hopped around London.

The fiery redhead bumped into the bumbling character and complimented him on his "dashing" Union Jack hat. Delighted, Joey gushes as he captures the moment on video camera, squealing: "Fergie baby!" According to reports, the duchess agreed to the cameo because her daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, were huge fans of the show. The moment has gone on to become one of the iconic episodes of the show's history; however, the royal was only in the show for a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment.

Diehard Star Wars fans, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex, both visited the set for The Last Jedi and attended the hit 2017 film premiere. The royal brothers reportedly appear in the film itself in secret cameos as stormtroopers, sharing the screen with John Boyega.

After months of speculation, Boyega told BBC Radio 4 in 2016 that the brothers were part of the hit film, but their height gave them away in the suits. He told listeners: "I've had enough with those secrets. They came on set. They were there. I'm sick of hiding it. I think it was leaked anyway." Despite landing a role in the hit sci-fi film, the viewers never got to see the royal brothers on screen, and only those with an eagle eye would be able to pick them out next to their fellow stormtrooper co-stars.

To mark the UK hosting the 2012 Olympic Games, the late Queen Elizabeth showed her sense of humour by joining Daniel Craig for a comedy sketch that was shown during the Opening Ceremony. After meeting 007 at Buckingham Palace, the pair travelled via helicopter to the Olympic stadium, at which point the Queen appeared to jump out of the helicopter and parachute into the venue.

The sketch was beloved by Brits up and down the country who fawned over the Queen's cheeky friendship with the fictional spy. This isn't the first sketch the late royal took part in on the small screen. In 2022, to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee, she took part in a sketch alongside Paddington Bear. The unusual duo shared cream tea at Buckingham Palace, during which the Queen pulled a marmalade sandwich out of her handbag.

Although Paddington is adored by millions of viewers, the sketch took place just months before her death, and the royal was noticeably less enthusiastic than she was during the Olympic sketch, finishing it in the second place.

In 2009, Princess Beatrice stretched her acting abilities on the small screen when she landed a small role on the period drama, Young Victoria. The Queen's granddaughter had something of a demotion when the real-life great-great-great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria took on the humble role of lady-in-waiting to the monarch (played by Emily Blunt).

She donned full Victorian garb as she tested out her acting skills with the support of her mother, who was among Martin Scorse's team of producers on the film. Seeing the auburn beauty on the big screen rightfully puts her at the top spot for unexpected royal cameos.