Actress Shares Buckingham Palace Experience on Andy Cohen's Show
Cate Blanchett recently shared a delightful memory of dining with the late Queen Elizabeth II during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. The 55-year-old actress, known for her role in The New Boy, opened up about the unique luncheon at Buckingham Palace on August 7.
Blanchett recounted her surprise at being invited, telling host Andy Cohen, "I had lunch at the palace." When Cohen asked why she was invited, Blanchett humorously admitted, "I do not know. The head of the fire brigade was there and Helen Fielding — not the novelist — the scientist, was there." She speculated that her role as Queen Elizabeth I in a film might have been a reason for her invitation.
The actress also shared a funny encounter with Prince Philip, who asked for her help with his DVD player. "Because I was an actress," she joked. When Cohen asked if she assisted him, Blanchett replied, "No, I did not. I’m not technical."
During the show, Cohen inquired whether the late Queen had seen Blanchett's 1998 film Elizabeth, in which she portrayed Queen Elizabeth I. The actress quipped, "It became very clear that she had not!"
Blanchett had previously discussed this royal encounter during a 2018 interview with UK talk show host Jonathan Ross. She described the lunch as an intimate gathering of twelve people and expressed her confusion over her presence. "I sat next to [Philip], and he said, ‘I hear you’re an actor? I was given a DVD player for Christmas, and I can’t work out whether I put the green cord in or the red cord,’" she recounted, adding with a laugh, "I thought, ‘He’s invited me to lunch to tell me about his DVD player!’"
