One of Queen Elizabeth‘s biggest secrets left royal family members dumbstruck ahead of the 2012 Olympics. Her secret appearance showed off her “extraordinary sense of humor,” says her former communications and press secretary.

Queen Elizabeth’s Olympics appearance surprised the royals

Queen Elizabeth’s former communications and press secretary, Ailsa Anderson, shared details surrounding a secret project the monarch took part in before the 2012 Olympic Games. Even the royal family had no idea about the jaw-dropping moment.

The skit featured Elizabeth and Daniel Craig in character as James Bond. Directed by Danny Boyle, the televised event occurred on July 27, 2012.

As Bond, Craig escorted Elizabeth from Buckingham Palace to the Olympics in a helicopter. Subsequently, an actor playing the Queen jumped out of the aircraft with a Union Jack parachute. This occurred moments ahead of the monarch taking her seat alongside Prince Philip.

Anderson recalled the moment on HELLO!’s A Right Royal Podcast. “Danny Boyle approached the palace, and the queen was asked, and she didn’t hesitate; she said yes! It was obviously all under wraps; no one knew about it, including the family!”

She continued, “You looked at the expressions on people’s faces, like Zara and Mike Tindall, when it looked like the Queen was parachuting out of a helicopter. No one knew! It was that element of surprise.”

Anderson concluded: “I think it just demonstrated how the late Queen would take chances. And also had this extraordinary sense of humor. The Paddington sketch she did at her Platinum Jubilee showed that cheeky sense of humor and her willingness to put her country before herself.”

Queen Elizabeth also showed off her sense of humor during her Platinum Jubilee

Ten years after the 2012 Olympics, Buckingham Palace devised an idea to create a storyline between Queen Elizabeth and the iconic children’s book character Paddington Bear to launch her televised jubilee concert. The segment was taped. Elizabeth could not attend the event because of her declining health, but she still showed off her beloved sense of humor.

Frank Cottrell-Boyce told the BBC that Elizabeth gave “a brilliantly timed comic performance.” He added, “What an astute idea it was to have her act with Paddington because Paddington embodies many of the values she stood for.”

“Paddington is all about kindness, toleration, being kind to strangers, politeness. These things about character. And those values she’s embodied throughout her life,” Cottrell-Boyce continued.

“And they’re not values that are uncontested at the moment, so it was not purely a cute thing to do. It was significant, I think, and that’s why it’s resonated so much.”

Are any royal family members scheduled to attend the 2024 Olympics?

Thus far, only Princess Anne has attended the 2024 Olympics. Anne is the President of the British Olympic Association and a member of the International Olympic Committee.

Anne attended various events during the games. Following the eventing team finals in Versailles, she presented gold medals to British athletes.

It has yet to be revealed if any other members of the British royal family will attend any Olympic events. Any medal winners from Team Great Britian will likely be honored by the royal family in some fashion after the games.