Stephen Fry has shared a touching story about the time Princess Diana and Prince Charles, now King, joined him for tea at his Norfolk home on New Year's Day, and the cheeky confession she made as she left.
The revelation came during the taping of The Graham Norton Show in 2014, where Fry recounted the amusing tale of the surprise royal visit. The Princess of Wales tragically died on August 31, 1997, from injuries sustained in a car crash in Paris, France. Nearly three decades later, her memory still resonates deeply with the public.
The Unexpected Invitation
Fry explained that he once met the then-Prince of Wales and extended an invitation to his home for Christmas dinner, noting he was "not far from Sandringham." The Prince called the idea "lovely," though Fry assumed nothing would come of it.
Days later, while preparing an intricate breakfast dish for his houseguests, Fry received a telephone call. He recalled: "I remember distinctly. Hollandaise sauce is very, you know, you have to concentrate. You have to get the melted butter into the egg yolk in a thin, steady stream and the phone went!"
On answering, Fry initially thought a friend was playing a trick on him. He said: "A tiny part of my brain sent a signal to say 'Oh f**k off Rory'. Another part just overtook it and went 'Oh hello sir!'."
The Royal Tea Party
The duo arranged tea for New Year's Day, and Fry called an emergency "house meeting" immediately after hanging up. He described the scene as "a fantastic sight" as all 14 of his house guests sprang into action to prepare the home and refreshments for royalty.
Fry said he wished he had captured photos of Hugh Laurie wielding the vacuum cleaner. He revealed: "We were all making tea, all getting ready, the fire's burning, everything's completely ready and we're all peeping out of the curtains like pathetic children, watching all the cars."
When two vehicles arrived, Fry found himself alone at the window, with everyone else having retreated inside. He said: "The doorbell goes and I think 'I must play it cool otherwise they'll think I'm really uncool'. I counted to 15, the bell goes again and I open it, and he goes 'Oh hello, I hope you don't mind but I brought my wife'."
Diana's Cheeky Goodbye
Fry disclosed how Princess Diana stepped out and joined the gathering. He said: "We have this tea party and it's fantastic and she's wearing cowboy boots which suits her very well. He's not wearing cowboy boots which suits him very well."
As the royals departed, King Charles bid farewell first, but Diana "holds in the doorway" for a moment. Fry said the Princess told him: "I'm sorry we're going but I'm quite glad we're going early because it's Spitting Image on tonight and I'm going to watch it in my room."
Referencing the royals, the Princess noted: "They hate it of course but I love it!" The Graham Norton Show audience burst out laughing at Diana's confession about liking the BBC parody show.
Spitting Image originally aired from 1984 to 1996 and featured parodied puppet versions of famous people, including members of the royal family. It was revived in late 2020, featuring depictions of the new generations of royals including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
