Throne into chaos

GIVEN that Queen Elizabeth is alive and well, the opening scenes of this royal drama may raise a few eyebrows.

It’s her funeral and, after the pomp and ceremony of the huge state procession, it’s finally time for Prince Charles to become King.

Adapted from Mike Bartlett’s award-winning play of the same name, this one-off saga imagines the royal family at loggerheads after Charles ascends the throne.

And it’s already caused huge controversy, been branded distasteful for scenes such as Camilla (Margot Leicester) slapping William (Oliver Chris), not to mention the odd appearance of the ghost of Princess Diana.

“It is pretty shocking stuff and very emotionally near the line,” admits Oliver.

But those not easily offended by such matters can and should tune in to see a stellar cast of actors, not least the late Timothy Pigott-Smith, as well as Charlotte Riley as Kate Middleton, Richard Goulding as Harry and Adam James as Prime Minister Tristram Evans.

They all look and sound slightly like their real counterparts, but shinier.

Gripping, emotional and funny, with a Shakespearean feel to it, it’s easy to see why the play won so many awards.

It begins with Charles musing: “My life has been a lingering for the throne”. He confesses that sometimes he’d imagined his mother dying before her time... a helicopter crash or a rare disease. But once Charles is in power, there’s immediate political chaos after he refuses to sign a bill into law.

His actions divide his family, with William and Kate worried he has threatened their future. Meanwhile, as if the royals aren’t having enough problems, Harry starts a relationship with a commoner.