The only condition that Elizabeth II imposed for her cameo with James Bond at the London Olympics
The monarch was enthusiastic at the request of filmmaker Danny Boyle
Angela Kelly, designer and personal assistant to Queen Elizabeth II of England for 25 years, has written a book about her relationship with the monarch entitled The Other Side of The Coin: the Queen, The Dresser and the Wardrobe, in which, Among other issues, it reveals the enthusiasm that the sovereign showed when the filmmaker Danny Boyle proposed to participate in the sequence with agent OO7 for the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games.
In the book, which comes out this week, its author Kelly says it took her just "five minutes" in 2011 to persuade Elizabeth II to accept Boyle's request. "After hearing Danny (Boyle's) plan, I asked him and Edward (Young, Elizabeth II's private secretary) to give me five minutes to ask the queen," he said. Kelly remembers "the look of shock on Danny's face when he saw that he would ask him immediately", but considered that there was "no point in waiting with these issues: if he says no, the matter is settled."
She indicated that Elizabeth II was "amused" by the possibility of participating in the project and only made one condition: being able to say something in the film of the well-known British spy. “I ran upstairs and luckily the queen was free. She was amused by the idea and immediately said yes. I asked him if he would like a part where he had to speak. Without hesitation, she replied: of course I have to say something. After all, (Bond) is coming to rescue me, ”says Kelly. Also, according to the author, Elizabeth II chose to have to say "good afternoon, Mr. Bond" rather than "good afternoon, James."
Kelly noted that upon returning to the office of Elizabeth II's private secretary to confirm that the monarch would contribute to the sequence, Boyle "almost fell out of his chair" when he told him that "the only condition was that he would have to say that iconic phrase" . The 61-year-old British designer created two identical outfits for the project, one for the queen, and one for the "stuntman," actor Gary Connery, with whom he parachuted into the Olympic Stadium.
It took Angela Kelly just "five minutes" to persuade Elizabeth II to accept Boyle's request.
