It’s hard to imagine the Royal Family sitting down with a cup of tea and binge-watching TV like the rest of us. But the truth is they’re just as obsessed with TV as we are. In recent years, senior royals and the monarchs themselves have, from time to time, opened up about what shows are on their watch list, which has certainly raised a few eyebrows.
From period dramas like Downton Abbey and Grace to popular reality shows like Strictly Come Dancing, the royals have been keeping up with some of the biggest shows on the airwaves in their spare time. As we step into Spring, here are the best TV shows to get stuck into as recommended by the Royal Family.
Slow Horses
One surprising favourite by the Royal Family is the Apple crime drama, Slow Horses. The acclaimed spy thriller launched on April 1, 2022 and follows a dysfunctional team of disgraced MI5 agents stationed at Slough House, a dumping ground for career-ending mistakes.
Led by the cynical, brilliant Jackson Lamb (played by Gary Oldman), these slow horses often uncover real conspiracy threats while navigating professional obscurity and bureaucratic disdain from headquarters.
At the Royal Television Society Awards 2026, actor Christopher Chung, who plays Roddy Ho in the TV drama, revealed that one famous face is a secret fan of the show. He told us: ” Gary has been knighted, and he has regaled us with stories of the Royal Family being big fans of the show, so for them to have watched Slow Horses is enough for me. I’m pretty sure the Queen Camilla watches it and William because he gave Gary his knighthood.”
(Image: Apple )Loose Women
For years, Sarah Ferguson has been a big fan of the daytime show Loose Women, so much so that she became a frequent guest on the programme. The former Duchess of York made her debut on the show in November 2023 to promote breast cancer screening following her own, symptom-free diagnosis.
Since then, she has become a regular star on the show, returning to discuss her book and adding her two pence on some of the biggest stories affecting the UK. However, her relationship with ITV changed in October 2025 after her ties to the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein came to light.
(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Downton Abbey
It seems the late Queen Elizabeth II enjoyed a good period drama in her downtime, even those about her own life. The late queen reportedly loved the ITV drama, which quickly became one of her favourite shows. The Daily Telegraph claimed the former monarch would “point out things they have got wrong, partly because she is familiar with Highclere Castle, where it is filmed.”
It’s fair to say this series went down a lot better than the Netflix hit The Crown, which documented Queen Elizabeth II’s reign from her coronation to the death of Princess Diana. Although the family are said to have watched the drama, there have been several reports sharing their dislike of the show. According to The Independent, the late Queen reportedly watched the earlier seasons but was annoyed by the inaccurate portrayal of Prince Philip’s relationship with his son.
(Image: AP)Strictly Come Dancing
The beloved BBC reality show is loved by Brits up and down the country, but fans may be surprised to know that the show is also quite popular in the Royal household. Both King Charles and Queen Camilla have been reported to regularly sit down to watch the dancing competition, and last year, Princess Kate quietly visited the studio and dropped in on rehearsals with Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Kate and Charlotte are massive fans of the hit show, but there is one member of the Royal Family who has admitted to a cast member that they would absolutely love to take part in the show if they could. Johannes Radebe told Jonathan Ross on the ITV show that Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, is dying to take part.
He revealed: “She would love the opportunity to [compete in Strictly Come Dancing] but obviously she can’t. She has told me this.” The Queen has also hinted that she would love to pop on some dancing shoes, telling the press at the time: “I’ve always wanted to tap dance and in my dotage perhaps it’s something I could take up.”
(Image: BBC)