It’s hard to imagine royalty binge-watching television shows like the rest of us mere common folk, but the truth is they’re just like us.
Well, not really, but certainly in terms of indulging in and obsessing over TV shows!
Over the years, various members of the British royal family have shared insights into what they’re watching on the small screen, and it’s nothing short of fascinating.
We can’t help but wonder what their favourite shows are and analyse what that says about their personality.
From romance to mystery and comedy, below we list every TV show the royals have publicly admitted to watching, and loving, and detail where you can watch them yourself.
Queen Elizabeth II
It seems the late Queen Elizabeth II loved to watch period, and royal, dramas – even those about her own life.
Downton Abbey (Prime Video) was said to be one of her favourite shows, and the Daily Telegraph claimed the former monarch would “point out things they have got wrong, partly because she is familiar with Highclere Castle, where it is filmed.”
Additionally, actress Vanessa Kirby revealed in 2018 that she was told by one of the Queen’s grandchildren that Her Majesty watched The Crown (Netflix), a show that chronicled her own life!
Other shows that have been documented as being on the late Queen’s watch list include Coronation Street (BINGE), The X Factor, Coach Trip and The Kumars at No. 42 (Apple TV+) – all classic British shows.
Stream Downton Abbey on Prime Video from $6.58/mth, with a 30-day free trial. Subscribe here.
Stream Coronation Street on BINGE from $10/mth, with a 7-day free trial. Subscribe here.
King Charles III
King Charles’ favourite shows have been kept no secret, with the monarch publicly praising multiple series’.
One of his favourites is Poldark (BritBox) – a drama set after the American Revolutionary War. His Majesty confirmed he enjoyed the show while on a trip to Cornwall, where the series is set, in 2018.
Another show the King has been vocal about enjoying is Emmerdale (BINGE), which is a British drama that has been running for over 50 years.
He revealed he had been a fan of the show since it first began, saying, “I’m afraid I’m so old I remember when it was called Emmerdale Farm, owned by the Sugdens.”
Stream Poldark on BritBox from $9.99/mth, with a 7-day free trial. Subscribe here.
Stream Emmerdale on BINGE from $10/mth, with a 7-day free trial. Subscribe here.
Queen Camilla
In 2012, Queen Camilla revealed she was ‘addicted’ to The Killing (Disney Plus), which she is said to have watched alongside her husband.
The Killing is a mystery drama about an unsolved murder, and the now-Queen specifically requested to visit the filming location of the show while on their tour of Scandinavia.
Speaking at the set, she confessed, “I’m an addict. I’m so excited by this.”
Camilla is also a fan of British show – we’re sensing a theme here – Grace (BritBox). She visited the set in which it was filmed and was even photographed standing in front of six of the books of which the show is based.
Most recently, the Queen consort admitted she had watched the first season of hit-show Bridgerton (Netflix)!
Stream Grace on BritBox from $9.99/mth, with a 7-day free trial. Subscribe here.
Stream The Killing on Disney Plus from $13.99/mth. Subscribe here.
Prince William
William, Prince of Wales is a big fan of Killing Eve (Stan) which is a thriller that stars Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer.
William’s love of the show was revealed in 2021 during a tour of BAFTA’s new venue, where he met multiple members of the cast and crew.
“He said he loved it. He talked about the dark humour of it, and Jodie and Sandra, how amazing they both are. And he talked about the humour you can get through the costumes, which is what Phoebe [de Gaye] is so clever at,” Killing Eve producer Sally Woodward Gentle said at the time.
Another of Prince William’s favourite shows is Blackadder (BritBox), a British comedy show from the 1980s starring the likes of Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry.
The prince appeared in a comedy sketch based on the show during the pandemic in 2020.
Stream Blackadder on BritBox from $9.99/mth, with a 7-day free trial. Subscribe here.
Princess Catherine
According to her husband, Catherine, Princess of Wales loves Strictly Come Dancing, a British reality show where celebrities team up with professional dancers and compete for the grand prize.
Catherine’s mother Carole Middleton is also apparently a fan of the show!
Speaking to one of the judges in 2019, Prince William said, “I have watched the show [Strictly] a couple of times. Catherine is a huge fan and my mother-in-law loves it.”
Prince & Princess of Wales
Both Prince William and Princess Catherine enjoy watching Game of Thrones (BINGE) together and they’ve watched every season!
As one of the biggest and most successful TV shows ever, it’s unsurprising that these two royals have seen Game of Thrones.
In an interview with a radio host, William said, “You should definitely watch Game of Thrones, that’s worth watching.”
Another favourite of the Wales couple is thriller series Homeland (Disney Plus).
In a 2017 interview, William revealed that the pair are “big fans of Homeland”.
The couple are also fans of more light-hearted shows, with William Moseley, star of The Royals, claiming they enjoy One Tree Hill (Stan).
One Tree Hill was created by the same person as The Royals, and the actor said, “Fortunately William and Kate were fans of our creator’s first show, One Tree Hill.“
A possibly surprising favourite of William and Kate’s is Suits (Netflix), starring none other than their sister-in-law Meghan Markle.
In Prince Harry’s memoir Spare, he claimed the pair were “religious” fans of Suits before they found out Meghan and Harry were an item.
Stream Game of Thrones on BINGE from $10/mth, with a 7-day free trial. Subscribe here.
Stream Homeland on Disney Plus from $13.99/mth. Subscribe here.
Prince Harry
Two of Prince Harry’s favourite shows are free-to-air shows: Jeopardy! and Britain’s Got Talent.
Harry told James Corden on The Late Late Show in February 2021 that “Meg might cook a meal, we might order a takeaway, go upstairs, sit in bed, turn the TV on, watch some Jeopardy, maybe watch a little bit of Netflix.”
Actress and Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden previously revealed that Prince Harry told her how much he enjoys watching the show!
The Star Wars franchise is another big favourite for Prince Harry, and the Duke of Sussex is apparently a big sci-fi fan.
Actor John Boyega revealed that both William and Harry got to try on Storm Trooper costumes when they paid a visit to the movie set in 2017.
“They cut it from the film. I did personally apologise to the Princes yesterday and said: ‘Sorry you were cut out of the film.’ Will was like: ‘I guess I just need to work more on the skill,” John shared.
Stream Star Wars on Disney Plus from $13.99/mth. Subscribe here.
Meghan Markle
Before Meghan Markle became the Duchess of Sussex, the former-actress revealed information about which shows she loved to binge watch.
In 2013, Meghan admitted that her favourite show to binge was Mad Men (Prime Video) – a drama about an advertising agency in the 1960s which focuses on one of the firm’s best but most mysterious ad executives, Don Draper.
In addition, the Duchess also added The Newsroom (BINGE) to her list, which is an American political drama series.
Meghan also revealed she used to love watching reality TV – especially The Real Housewives (Apple TV+), but she admitted she no longer found herself switching it on as she stopped being interested in “other people’s drama” when her own life became hectic.
Stream Mad Men on Prime Video from $6.58/mth, with a 30-day free trial. Subscribe here.
Stream The Newsroom on BINGE from $10/mth, with a 7-day free trial. Subscribe here.
Stream The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on Apple TV+ from $12.99/mth, with a 7-day free trial. Subscribe here.
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