There was a very special surprise for the residents of Walford, as tonight’s episode of EastEnders (2nd June) featured an appearance from The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall in honour of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Fans have seen Mick (Danny Dyer) and Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) excitedly preparing to mark The Queen’s 70th year as Monarch by hosting a celebration in Albert Square, all courtesy of the soap’s iconic Queen Victoria pub.
Meanwhile, Rocky Cotton (Brian Conley) threw himself into the planning in an effort to win over Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy). Tonight, as Mick and Linda were all set to spring a huge surprise on their friends and neighbours, Rocky was left disappointed when the judges he had hired for the talent competition failed to turn up – including Sonia.
He therefore rushed off to try and locate the guest judges. At the same time, Karen Taylor (Lorraine Stanley) planted a tree to commemorate her late daughter Chantelle Atkins (Jessica Plummer); while Mick made a touching speech about sister Tina (Luisa Bradshaw-White) over at The Prince Albert bar.
The Carters later introduced Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall to the crowd. The partygoers were in awe, and Patrick Trueman even shared a drink of rum with Camilla! Just last year, Rudolph Walker, who has played Patrick since 2001, was presented with a CBE award by Prince Charles.
Martin Fowler (James Bye) also had a friendly chat with Charles, while Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) had a surprising reaction to the visitors by asking for a favour! Only in soapland…
As far as ongoing storylines were concerned, things didn’t go to plan for everyone. When Rocky returned, he made the hilarious mistake of believing the Royal visitors were actually lookalikes that he had previously arranged for the contest. When he realised that The Prince and Duchess really were there, he could barely contain his shock!
The Square raised a toast to Her Majesty The Queen in a heartwarming display, leaving Linda thrilled with the success of the event amid her worrying dilemma over Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks).
EastEnders concluded with an updated version of the show’s theme tune, in tribute to the Platinum Jubilee. Penned by original composer Simon May, this finishing touch was the perfect note to end on!
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