A NEW play that examines the unique relationship between the late Queen Elizabeth II and her dresser, Daisy Goodwin’s By Royal Appointment, has its world premiere at Bath Theatre Royal, from Thursday 5th to Saturday 14th June, before a UK tour. The play stars Anne Reid as the Queen and Caroline Quentin as The Dresser, with James Dreyfus and James Wilby.
The late Queen Elizabeth II was famous for her discretion. She never said anything in public that could ruffle the lightest of feathers. But she had one way of expressing what she really thought – through her wardrobe. By Royal Appointment explores how the pair created the public image of the world’s longest-reigning monarch.
A funny and poignant play, it investigates the kind of power that only a Queen can wield – she charms the world through coats and admonishes her family through a carefully chosen hat. But the Queen herself is uninterested in fashion – her look is managed by her designer, her milliner and most powerful of all, her dresser – a working-class girl who goes from advising the Queen on the colour of her lipsticks to, perhaps, the real power behind the throne.
By Royal Appointment is Daisy Goodwin’s debut play. For television, her writing credits include the ITV historical drama series Victoria. Her novels include The Last Duchess, The Fortune Hunter, The American Heiress, Victoria and Diva, and she has curated eight poetry anthologies. Also, as a producer, her many credits include Grand Designs and Escape to the Country.
Anne Reid, who plays The Queen, is acclaimed for her many theatre, television and film performances, including her BAFTA Award-nominated role as Celia in Last Tango in Halifax from 2012 to 2020. First seen on television in the 1950s, with credits including Hancock’s Half Hour and The Adventures of Robin Hood, she has starred in countless series every decade since with roles including Ann Moore-Martin in The Sixth Commandment, Jean in Dinnerladies, and Valerie Barlow in Coronation Street. She won the London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actress of the Year for her role in the 2003 film The Mother alongside Daniel Craig. Her stage work includes Hedda Gabler at London’s Old Vic with Sheridan Smith, Into the Woods at the Royal Opera House, and West End productions of A Woman of No Importance, The Epitaph of George Dillon and The York Realist. She first performed at the Theatre Royal Bath in a series of plays as part of the London Resident Company between July and October 1955, followed by Pride and Prejudice in 1987, Wild Oats in 1995, A Family Affair in 2000 and Fracked! in 2017.
Caroline Quentin, who plays The Dresser, has twice won the British Comedy Award for Best TV Comedy Actress and a Special Recognition Award at the National Television Awards. Her recent stage credits include Jack Absolute Flies Again at the National Theatre, and Mrs Warren’s Profession at the Theatre Royal Bath in 2022 and on tour. Her television roles include Wes in The Lazarus Project, Dorothy in Men Behaving Badly, Mrs Bumble in Dickensian, Maggie in Life Begins, Jan in Big Bad World, DCI Janine Lewis in Blue Murder, Maddy Riley in Life of Riley, Kate in Kiss Me Kate, Maddy in Jonathan Creek and Deirdre in Stephen Poliakoff’s Dancing on the Edge. She was a contestant in the 2020 season of Strictly Come Dancing.
James Dreyfus plays The Milliner, with James Wilby as The Designer.
Director Dominic Dromgoole was artistic director of Shakespeare’s Globe from 2006 to 2016. In 2012, he directed the Globe to Globe Festival, which hosted companies from 37 different countries.
After opening at the Theatre Royal Bath, By Royal Appointment will tour to Cheltenham, Leeds, Malvern, Southampton and Guildford.