USA Today, in an interview about Wolf Hall and Henry VIII, asks Damian what it is that makes the Royal Family so intriguing:
“They provide a lot of stories. I think they are best and they are great ambassadors for the country but they provide fairy tales… Prince Charles and Princess Diana fairytale which you guys over here… goodness… you know… just lapped up and they become great sources of fascination… “
Well, well, it is not just America! I was an 8 year old kid in Turkey on the day Charles and Diana got married. I was glued to the TV during the entire ceremony and loved it when they kissed on the balcony. And, believe me, I was this little girl who never fancied being a princess and never played with dolls or Barbies. To this day, my fascination with Prince Charles and Princess Diana is a mystery to me. Who knows maybe it is the fairy tale aspect that Damian is talking about…. Anyway… back to Damian!
“Will and Katherine’s is another fairy tale… slightly different type of fairy tale… the first middle class, less aristocratic princess in Kate Middleton… that’s the sign of the times… Currently, I think the queen maintains a dignity and an integrity in spite of everything that can be thrown at her or her family. She is a figurehead and I think a reason to believe in the monarchy still…”
Well, if the Queen is a reason to believe in the monarchy, Damian is a reason to pay attention to the Tudor era 😀 And the press, in particular, in connection to Damian playing King Henry VIII loves talking about his upper class upbringing, his grandfather being the Lord Mayor of London and his mother’s side having a couple of royal titles. Is Damian royal? Well, he says in an interview with Cigar Aficianado that his family made its money during the Industrial Revolution. Yes, his maternal grandfather was Lord Mayor of London and his mother’s side has titles going back for a few generations but they are baronets, purchased titles, and not real nobility.
Damian goes on to explain the difference between the Mayor of London, a political position, and Lord Mayor of London, a position borne out of an old tradition of merchants, at Times Talks. The guilds of London were established as early as in the 13th century to ensure the goods traded in the city meet some particular quality. And the merchants whose goods met that quality became freeman of the city: They could pass the Thames into the city toll free and trade freely. It turns out Damian’s family had a connection to the merchant guild of Haberdashers and his grandfather was a Haberdasher. Based on the information he gives, his grandfather should be Lieutenant Colonel Sir Ian Frank Bowater. And Damian’s brother William, another haberdasher, is now becoming the Sheriff of London. And he feels the urge to explain his brother is no Wyatt Earp: “
“It’s not Wyatt Earp. He doesn’t have a big mustache, and a hat and a long black coat. Or a gun. Which I would like to say, is a good thing.”
I cannot agree with it more!
Well, then, it should not be surprising for anyone that the guy who has Baronets and Sheriffs in his family and who brings to life the most famous Tudor king on small screen is hanging out with the Windsors 😀
Damian participated in the final night of Her Majesty The Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebrations at Windsor Castle back in 2016. The celebration, filmed live on castle grounds, was about narrating the Queen’s life story as the longest-reigning British monarch from her birth in 1926 to present day. And our guy was among the crowd greeting the Queen and Prince Philip as they arrived for the final night of special birthday celebrations…
… And then he was on stage introducing a horse battalion in connection to some historic moments in queen’s life… Well, everyone knows that the queen LOVES horses! But did you know that her love for horses worked some wonders for Damian, too? 🙂 Curious? Then read on!
Both Damian and Helen are ambassadors for The Prince’s Trust, a charity founded by Prince Charles 40 years ago, that help disadvantaged young people to find jobs or get education and training.
The couple attended the Trust’s Invest in Future fund-raising gala a few years ago where Damian could not help “teach” Prince Charles some history lesson… Hey, don’t forget, he’s some kingly king, too!
As the duo talk about Damian playing Henry VIII in Wolf Hall, Damian goes:
“You know he invented ‘Your Majesty’? No monarch before Henry VIII was ‘Your Majesty’, because monarch wasn’t enough.”
Charles: “They teach us to read and everything, Sir!”
And Helen’s words on the exchange are PRICELESS:
“Only my husband could give the future king of England history lessons on the monarchy.”
It turns out Damian and Helen met the Queen earlier in 2013 at Windsor Castle when she received a honorary BAFTA. And, the Queen, being the horse-racing expert that she is, gave them a tip or two.
Damian tells:
“I asked for the Grand National, because that’s the only time we’re there, and she said ‘no, no, no, that’s miles away – you need tips for Royal Ascot first.’ She gave me a tip for Royal Ascot and it came with a royal seal.”
Damian cannot remember the name of the horse he bet on but he remembers the amount he won:
“Enough for a weekly shop”.
Not bad, huh? 😀
The Duchess of Cornwall meets Damian and his family at Harvest Festival where Damian reads a NEW poem “Harvest” by Henry Birtles, a BBC and Channel 4 sport poet, written particularly for this event. Their conversation starts with their own harvest festival memories at school that we find out young Damian took baked beans to school for harvest, and then turns to extremely important world matters! 😀
“Where are you?” asks the Duchess. She is not asking after Damian, she is, in fact, asking after Brody! This conversation takes place before Homeland Season 3 arrives on TV and the Duchess is anxious, like the rest of us, about Brody’s whereabouts. And who can blame her for that?
“I’m on the run, but wait and see.”
I find it quite hilarious that the Duchess asks Damian’s kids if they are allowed to watch their dad on TV, a question Damian himself answers with a laugh:
“No, certainly not. Fortunately mummy is in Harry Potter so they can watch that!”
Indeed.
The Royal Family does not only seem to give tips to Damian for horse-racing but they also seem to inspire him… well, for his roles 🙂
Telegraph reports that one “unusual” inspiration for Damian as he prepared for his role as Henry VIII in Wolf Hall was “the Duke of Cambridge, a known fan of his hit television programme Homeland, and Prince Harry, after observing how the pair approach their public duties. Damian says: “I have actually on occasion found myself thinking about Wills and Harry; wanting to normalize your life as much as possible.”
And Damian thinking about Wills and Harry obviously get me thinking about Damian hanging out with Wills and Harry 🙂 Well, one gets inspired by whom he hangs out with, doesn’t he?
Firstly, Damian had a chat with Wills, the Duke of Cambridge, when he was awarded his OBE in November 2014!
From the Press Association News Report:
“Speaking about his brief chat with the Duke, Damian revealed: “He said ‘Catherine and I are huge Homeland fans’.
“He said ‘you appeared again the other night briefly, and we all got very excited,’ which is true, but it was also on Sunday night which means he is absolutely up to date with the latest episode and I’m amazed they have time for that.”
Well, everyone makes time for Brody 🙂
Damian shares another sweet anecdote from his conversation with Prince William at New Yorker Festival.
Lauren Collins says she read somewhere once that the Queen, no matter what you say to her, she just says “Quite.” And Collins is curious to find out if that was true: “What did she say to you?”
Damian laughs and says: “I was, actually, given my honor by Prince William, which is very lovely. Prince William had been at the same school that I had been at. And I was wearing… ’cause you could go just in your school uniform… …so I bought a different tail coat in blue, and I just said “Your Highness…I’m wearing mine in blue, you know, I did not want to wear my school uniform… He’s quick as a flash… He just looked at me and said ‘you wouldn’t fit into that anymore, would you?’ That was all in Buckingham Palace just as he was pinning the medal on my chest.”
Only a few weeks later, Damian Lewis got to hang out with Prince Harry at the ICAP Charity Day in which Damian participated to raise funds for Prostate UK.
ITV news reports the most hilarious chat between Damian Lewis and Prince Harry. You will love this!
Prince Harry, when he bumped into Lewis: “I see another ginger.” Lewis replied:
“What’s it like to be the second most famous redhead then?”
Spot the most famous redhead in the picture! 🙂
The most famous and the second most famous ginger of the world also got together at the Royal Ascot in 2015. We don’t know if they talked about the world’s latest “most famous ginger” rankings 😀
And it does not stop there! The second most famous ginger, at a recent appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden, shared with the world that he would like Damian Lewis to play him on The Crown! You can see the entire Harry segment below and the part about The Crown starts around 7:40.
Well, Damian being 14 years his senior, it is a pretty long shot, but I admit it would be great casting.
In closing, having hung out with them all, who is Damian’s favorite royal?
Make a guess and FIND OUT here!
Hi Damianista
Another great post. Do you know when Helen is to receive her OBE? It’s been such a long time since it was announced. Keep up the good work.
Elaine
Elaine, long time no see — we missed you! <3 Hope all is well and hope you saw your wonderful fan story published on the blog!
Thank you so much for your very kind words - it was so much fun putting this one together.
I don't know when Helen will receive her OBE but I remember Damian found out about it in June as part of the Queen's birthday celebrations and then received the OBE late November. Helen got the news late 2016 so it should be soon! 🙂
hahahaha “What’s it like to be the second most famous redhead then?” <—FANTASTIC quip.
Love his cheek – teaching Prince Charles royal history & telling Prince Harry he’s the 2nd most famous redhead! Hahaha Damian is just brilliant. Thank you for this article, it certainly made me giggle.
GOTTA LOVE DAMIAN!!! Thank you for your kind words and constant support. Your comment means mission accomplished. So glad to give you and hopefully others a giggle or two.
Fairy tale providers sounds like a fresh definition 😉 for the modern monarchy.
You know there’s a saying in Spanish which says: dime con quien andas y te dire quien eres (show me who you hang out with and I tell you who you are). When I see all Damian getting involved in the Sohana, Prince’s Trust, I think this guy is really awesome because he could just be a star indifferent to many things but he and Helen decide to make a difference and get involved . Love them both. And of course the second most famous ginger is… Harry 😉
How come I did not see this comment before!?!? Sorry about that! That’s a good saying. We have a very similar one in Turkish that goes: “Bana arkadasini soyle sana kim oldugunu soyleyeyim” (Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are). You are absolutely right. Damian and Helen do more than their share to give back to the community, yet another reason to love and respect them. Hahaha yes of course Harry comes second 😀