HM The Queen’s Olympic Stunt Inspired by the 1997 James Bond Film

When HM Queen Elizabeth apparently jumped out of a helicopter and unfurled the Union Jack flag to mark the start of the 2012 London Olympics, she stunned onlookers.

Now, author Craig Brown reveals that this period, created by English film director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting) was inspired by the opening sequence of the 1977 James Bond thriller The Spy Who Loved Me.

In his new book A Tour Around the Queenissued in the UK Daily Mail The newspaper, Brown quotes Boyle as explaining how he remembered the sequence where James Bond was played in the snow by Roger Moore until he reached the edge of the mountain cliff and jumped, luckily the parachute opened to reveal the UK Union Jack flag, and all before the film. unlock credits.

Brown writes that Boyle and his team visited the Queen to ask how the exact same sequence should be worn. It was the Queen’s dresser Angela Kelly who went to ask the king if he would like to have a hand, and the Queen readily agreed – on the condition that, “Hello, Mr Bond.”

The film was shown at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics on July 27 2012, where it was watched by the world’s largest audience in British television history.

The Queen managed to repeat the unexpected film 10 years later during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of her 70th year on the throne. He appeared, equally unexpectedly, in a film with Paddington Bear, where he revealed that he carried a bag with him at all times because that was where his marmalade sandwiches were kept.