Queen Elizabeth II had countless duties and responsibilities throughout her life – whether it be public appearances, openings or charity events, she was always in the public eye.
No doubt the constant attention would have been exhausting for our longest-reigning monarch, but how did she like to relax?
According to reports, the Queen was something of a TV aficionado and loved to sit in front of a decent series after a long day.
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If you've ever wondered what the Queen liked to curl up in front of, keep reading to check out her favourite series on telly.
The Kumars at No. 42
Former BBC Radio 2 editor Phil Jones has previously revealed that the Queen told him her favourite television show was this BBC classic.
He spoke to the New Statesman and admitted that he didn’t know what to talk to Her Majesty about while he was in her presence at Buckingham Palace.
Phil said: “In the end, I alighted on: ‘What’s your favourite programme?’ Straight away she said: ‘The Kumars at No.42,’ and, even more astonishingly, proceeded to recite some of the one-liners from the grandma character, played by the brilliant Meera Syal.”
The show originally ran from 2001 to 2006 and had a brief revival in 2014.
Strictly Come Dancing
The former monarch was reportedly a huge fan of the BBC One dancing competition, which is held around the festive season every year.
Camilla confirmed that her mother-in-law loved a spot of Strictly and the entire royal family even voted for Rose Ayling-Ellis while she was on the show back in 2021, who went on to win with partner Giovanni Pernice.
Camilla and Charles, who then went by Prince Charles, later visited the EastEnders set where they met the actress and gushed over her incredible silent dance.
Downton Abbey
The period drama, which follows the lives of the Crawley family and their servants, was a particular favourite with the long-reigning monarch.
A source revealed to The Telegraph that Queen Elizabeth was a big fan of the franchise, which has also spawned a film.
They also said that she “always noticed if anything was not quite right, such as one young officer she spotted wearing his medals in the wrong order”.
The source claimed that the medals were from the Second World War, when the scene was set in the First World War.
The show is an apparent hit with her grandson Prince William, who admitted that it was one of he and his wife Kate’s “favourite programmes”.
The Crown
It may come as no surprise to some, but drama series The Crown – which follows the lives of the British monarchy – topped the Queen's list.
The series premiered in 2016 and royal contributor George Jobson has previously revealed that the Queen was a regular viewer and Prince Phillip personally told him that he had "tried to discourage his wife from watching" as he "knew it would irritate her".
Elizabeth's grandson Prince Harry also admitted that he was partial to a bit of The Crown when he spoke to James Corden back in 2021.
He said he was "way more comfortable" with the show as the "fictional" show "didn't pretend to be news".
Pointless
The show’s host Alexander Armstrong has presented the show since its first episode in 2009 and was lucky enough to host a round the Queen took part in.
Her Majesty played a game at the Sandringham Women’s Institute, where she was considered a local, and Alexander was their quiz master.
Armstrong said that the monarch was “brilliant” at the game and “got right into it” before he teased that she was a fan of the BBC programme.
Doctor Who
Perhaps an unexpected contender, Doctor Who is a sci-fi franchise that first aired in 1963.
The series follows the Time Lord who regenerates, travels in a blue phone box called the T.A.R.D.I.S. and has previously been portrayed by David Tennant and Christopher Eccleston.
A Buckingham Palace source has previously told the Mirror that the Queen “loved the programme” and was such a huge fan that she even requested for the BBC to “send her copies of the show”.
Coronation Street
The aptly named soap was first broadcast back in 1960 and the Queen has made two visits to the Corrie set throughout her reign – once in 1982 for the opening of the new set and once again in 2021.
Her Majesty brushed shoulders with soap royalty, including iconic Gail Platt actress Helen Worth.
Throughout her time on the throne, there have been reports that the Queen was also an avid viewer of the ITV soap opera.
The X Factor
Another unlikely entry, the popular ITV series was launched back in 2004 and followed hopeful contestants as they tried to make it big on the singing competition show.
Our longest reigning monarch was reportedly a follower of the early series and Mary Byrne, a previous contestant, has previously opened up about her meeting with the Queen.
Byrne told the Irish Independent that she met her at a garden party and revealed: “She came up and spoke to me and said: ‘You are the lady [from] the X Factor.’ I asked her [if] she watched it and the Queen said she watched it the next day so she must have recorded it.”
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