Queen Elizabeth II has received rave reviews for her cameo in the 007 sendup with actor Daniel Craig that was part of the Olympics’ opening night ceremony. She even delivered her line, “Good evening, Mr. Bond,” in one royal take of world class parody. One that seemingly resonated with international audiences as well as the usually caustic British press. Helen Mirren couldn’t have done a better turn.
Too bad, however, that the Queen couldn’t so much as deign to smile during her official welcoming of the world to the London-hosted 30th Olympiad–or in any of the cutaway shots showing her as monarch-spectator. She was, alas, expressionless and looked out of sorts.
Perhaps she was conserving further animation for the next day when she would be visiting the Olympic Village and riding to the top of the Orbit tower next to the stadium. Or perhaps a long day was taking its toll on the 86-year-old monarch. Or perhaps it was just awful timing; constipation is never convenient.