We always thought The Queen would be into cosy period dramas when it came to film choices, but not so says veteran actor Brian Blessed.
In a somewhat unexpected twist, Her Maj is more of a fan of campy 80s sci-fi, at least according to Brian, who claims her all-time fave is the fantasy adventure Flash Gordon, which he starred in.
Apparently, the 94-year-old monarch loves nothing better than watching the 1980 “space opera” with her grandchildren each Christmas.
Brian, who stars as Prince Vultan in the film, told broadcaster Edith Bowman on Yahoo Movies: “The Queen, it’s her favourite film, she watches it with her grandchildren every Christmas.”
The 83-year-old actor followed up by impersonating HRH’s voice, saying: “You know, we watch Flash Gordon all the time, me and the grandchildren. And if you don’t mind, I’ve got the grandchildren here, would you mind saying ‘Gordon’s alive’?”
He added: “Everywhere I go, they all want me to say ‘Gordon’s alive!’. The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, horses and queens, and prime ministers, they all want me to say, ‘Gordon’s alive!’, it’s their favourite film.”
Was the actor was using a little artistic licence? Maybe, he was on the promo trail for the 40th anniversary reissue of the film. But the thought of our Queen settling down to watch the camp classic is just too irresistible not to think there’s some truth to the tale.
Watch the original trailer for Flash Gordon below...