The Queen loves Downton Abbey – and tries to spot any mistakes!

Downton Abbey returns for its final series this month – and it is guaranteed to have some Royal viewers glued to the TV screen, including The Queen.

Author Brian Hoey, who has penned books ‘At Home with The Queen’ and ‘Not in front of the Corgis’, revealed that during a conversation with someone at the Palace, the two were discussing Her Majesty’s beady eye: she always notices if something is out of place.

queen downton

The Queen is a fan of Downton Abbey

“We were talking about Trooping the Colour and how The Queen always notices if something is not quite right, such as one young officer she spotted wearing his medals in the wrong order not long ago,” Hoey said to The Telegraph.

“Apparently she is exactly the same when she is watching television. She loves watching Downton Abbey and pointing out the things they have got wrong, partly because she is familiar with Highclere Castle, where it is filmed. She used to stay there as a guest of the Carnarvon family.”

The late Earl of Carnarvon was Her Majesty’s racing manager from 1969 until his death in 2001.

“She is the same when she is watching anything on television. In one programme she was watching, The Queen noticed that a British officer was wearing medals that were from the wrong era. It was set in the First World War but the medals he was wearing did not come in until the Second World War.”

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall are also known to be a fans of the hit show. The two reportedly make their husbands watch it with them, even though they are not too keen.

Kate visited the set of the downstairs in Ealing in April, shortly before giving birth to Princess Charlotte.

Alastair Bruce, who is a Royal Commentator for Sky News, as well as being one of Her Majesty’s heralds, is Downton’s historical adviser. There have been a few anomalies in the show, however, when producers have not taken advice; these include a car from the 1920s being used in an episode set in 1912, and late-20th century inventions, such as double yellow lines and PVC conservatories have been spotted.

In a publicity photograph for the fifth series a plastic water bottle had been left on the fireplace, which the show took well, and made it into something of a campaign for Wateraid.

Mr Hoey said the Queen also loves watching Dad’s Army, perhaps because she remembers the Home Guard platoon based at Windsor Castle during the war. She is also a fan of Last of the Summer Wine and, surprisingly, the X Factor!

During her visit to Ireland in 2011 she told Mary Byrne, a former contestant on the show, that her staff record X Factor, and then Her Majesty will watch it the next day.

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1 comment

Lynette van der Schyff Wed 07 December, 2016 - 1:53 pm

I am from SA, Lynette is my name and i like you all.

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