Dame Joan Collins has revealed a surprising encounter with the Princess of Wales and how she was so nervous that she forgot to follow royal protocol!
The Dynasty star, 90, recalled her involvement in the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant in June 2022.
The actress took part in a motorcade down The Mall during the celebrations and was joined in the procession by fashion model Twiggy and former GBBO judge Prue Leith for the ‘Dames in their Jags’ section of the pageant.
In her book, Behind The Shoulder Pads, Joan recalls her royal encounter after the show.
“Finally, we arrived outside the Royal Box, which was packed with royals and relatives of the Queen. As we descended from the Jaguar, trying to look presentable after two hours in the freezing wind, Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo waved at us excitedly.
“Then he nudged Princess Anne, who nudged Prince Charles and Camilla, and they all waved, smiled at us, and mouthed, ‘Well done!’ Very gratifying indeed,” she wrote.
“Shown to the green retiring room behind the box, I collapsed onto a sofa and was offered a cup of tea. Suddenly, a vision appeared in a red dress. Catherine, the [then] Duchess of Cambridge, with her two young children in tow.
“‘Hello, Joan,’ she said sweetly, holding out her hand. ‘Hello, ma’am,’ I gulped, forgetting to curtsy.
“‘This is Charlotte, and this is Louis,’ she said, and both little people held out their tiny hands politely for a handshake.”
Prince William, Kate and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis watched the pageant from the royal box with extended members of the late Queen’s family.
Louis, then four, stole the limelight on the day with his cheeky antics.
Joan was made a Dame by the late Queen for her charitable services, and she’s met several members of the royal family, including King Charles, Queen Camilla and the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
The Seven Thieves star previously met Princess Kate at a Buckingham Palace reception for the dramatic arts in 2014 and at the Royal Variety Performance in 2017, when Kate was pregnant with Louis.
