Est: 2016
Who would have known that even our late Queen was partial to panto and had even taken to the stage herself on more than one occasion. Back in 1941, the then Princess Elizabeth, starred in a school pantomime production of Cinderella playing the part of Prince Florizel. The role of Cinderella went to her younger sister, Princess Margaret.
The following year in 1942 the royal duo were back on stage once more, this time in Aladdin
Continuing their pantomime tradition, in 1943 the sisters appeared in a production of Sleeping Beauty.
As young Princesses they were more than used to being the centre of attention and this picture (below) shows, the Queen and Princess Margaret were also naturals when it came to stepping into the spotlight on stage. The royal sisters, then 18 and 14, sang and danced their way through A wartime Christmas pantomime for friends and family at Windsor Castle in 1944. Old Mother Red Riding Boots, as it was called, featured the Salon Orchestra of The Royal Horse Guards, scenery designed by the Academy Award winning art director Vincent Korda and crystal-clear sound from a BBC expert. The young Princess Elizabeth, as the Queen was then, played Lady Christina Sherwood and delivered a lively rendition of Swinging On A Star – which won an Oscar in 1944 for best original song in the film Going My Way.
Below: Princess Elizabeth as Lady Christina Sherwood
On 30th December 1988 The Princess of Wales took Prince William & Prince Harry to the pantomime Cinderella at the Princess Theatre in Hunstanton. Also in attendance was The Princess Royal with her children Peter & Zara Phillips.
In 1994 Sarah Ferguson (The Duchess of York) took her two daughters (Princess' Beatrice & Eugenie) to a production of Peter Pan at the Richmond Theatre in London.
On 18th December 1995 Sarah Ferguson (The Duchess of York) took her two daughters (Princess' Beatrice & Eugenie) to a production of Cinderella at the Richmond Theatre in London.
On 6th December 1998 Sarah Ferguson (The Duchess of York) took her two daughters (Princess' Beatrice & Eugenie) to a charity production of 'Adventures in Pantoland'at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London.
On 22nd December 2017 Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex attended the pantomime Sleeping Beauty at the Theatre Royal Windsor along with his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex and their two children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.
On 11th December 2020 The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge along with their three children (Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis) attended the London Palladium for a special invited guests only performance of Pantoland at the Palladium. The audience was made up of key workers who had continued to provide services during the Covid-19 pandemic. Prior to the performance Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge, gave a speech thanking all of the key workers from the Palladium stage.
