The Windsors

Did You Know?

• A stage play called The Windsors: Endgame ran at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London's West End from 2 August to 9 October 2021.
• The play was written by Jeffrie and Tyler-Moore, directed by Michael Fentiman, and featured Harry Enfield as Charles, Matthew Cottle as Edward, Tom Durant-Pritchard as Harry, and Tim Wallers as Andrew.
• Following the death of Haydn Gwynne, production of the fourth series was suspended in early 2024.

Cast

Harry Enfield portrays Prince (later King) Charles, the heir apparent to Elizabeth II, who spends the first three series impatiently awaiting his mother's death to become King. Charles is depicted as self-absorbed, naive, overconfident, and prone to absurd theories, with a running gag of wearing kilts without undergarments. Enfield also plays Charles' identical twin brother Chuck in Series 2, Episode 3. Haydn Gwynne plays Duchess (later Queen) Camilla, Charles' second wife, portrayed as a conniving villain determined to become Queen and replace Charles' lineage, though her schemes never succeed.

Hugh Skinner plays Prince William, Charles' heir, who is well-meaning and often tries to leave the monarchy or abolish it, receiving advice from spirits of past monarchs. Louise Ford plays Duchess (later Princess) Catherine, William's wife, a former 'gypsy' trying to fit in with the royals. Richard Goulding (Series 1–2 and the Coronation special) and Tom Durant-Pritchard (Series 3) play Prince Harry, William's naive younger brother who is illiterate until the end of Series 1.

Kathryn Drysdale plays Meghan Markle (Series 2–3), Harry's second girlfriend and later wife, a shallow narcissist obsessed with her time on Suits. Morgana Robinson plays Pippa Middleton, Kate's sister, a passive-aggressive, greedy social climber who pursues Harry.

Episodes

A fourth series was unofficially confirmed in spring 2023, prior to the Coronation Special. Plots included Charles prolonging his weekly meeting with the Prime Minister, Wills in a 'bromance' with a Welsh nationalist, Harry and Meghan rescuing New Zealand from leaving the Commonwealth, and Beatrice and Eugenie time-travelling. Filming was planned for late 2023 or early 2024.

Reception

The Guardian described the show as not high-brow humour but more a comic drama making odd comments about monarchy, comparing it to Spitting Image. Channel 4 stated the series is a wry take on the soap opera of the royals' lives, delving behind headlines and gossip columns, with head of comedy Phil Clarke noting that stories are completely fictional though some are inspired by real events. The Daily Telegraph called it low-budget, crude and rude, done with such relish that resistance was useless, and noted the lack of punk comedy on television at the time.