11 TV shows the royals love to binge – including Kate Middleton’s ‘guilty pleasure’

During a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show last year with King Charles, Queen Camilla toured a garden inspired by the character Penelope Featherington (played by Nicola Coughlan), where she shared that she was a fan of the hit regency romance series. The Queen revealed that she “watched the first lot” of the show’s third season, ahead of the season’s second part dropping the following month. We hope Her Majesty enjoyed the season finale as much as we did (and is eagerly anticipating the show’s upcoming fourth season).

When Prince William met with the stars of Clarkson’s Farm earlier this year, we were not expecting him to reveal that his 11-year-old son George is also a fan of the Amazon Prime documentary series. Speaking to ITV News, the Prince of Wales hilariously shared that he asked his son what he should say if he met Kaleb Cooper, one of the show’s stars, to which George replied: “Tell Kaleb to mind his language”. That’s proper prince behaviour indeed!

A known lover of literature, Queen Camilla revealed that she enjoyed watching the critically acclaimed BBC historical drama with King Charles, which is based on the trilogy by Hilary Mantel. Starring Mark Rylance, the series chronicles Thomas Cromwell’s rise to power, and is a favourite among Tudor history lovers. With its rich storytelling and sumptuous scenery, we’re sure this is an enjoyable watch for the King and Queen.

Just like us, the Queen isn’t always in the mood to watch something so serious. She is also reportedly a fan of the Disney+ series Rivals, the racy adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s second book in the Rutshire Chronicles series. A palace insider shared that Camilla “adored Rivals”, and received a preview copy before the series was available to the public. Known for its humour and hedonism, Rivals is set in the 80’s and stars David Tennant and Alex Hassell. After ending on a dramatic cliffhanger, the second season is expected to hit screens in 2026 – although maybe Her Majesty will find out what happens sooner!

Upon the show’s inception, we were all eager to hear what the royal family thought of this depiction of their lives. It’s safe to say the Netflix drama has been a hit with multiple royals. Vanessa Kirby, who played Princess Margaret in seasons one and two, revealed that the late Queen Elizabeth II had tuned into The Crown. During an interview with Harper’s Bazaar in 2018, she said: “A friend of mine was at a party and didn’t know anyone, so he sidled up to this group who were talking about The Crown. One girl said, ‘Well, my granny watches it and really likes it’. It slowly dawned on him that the girl was Eugenie and her granny was the Queen.” Sarah Ferguson and Princess Eugenie have also praised the show’s beautiful music, storytelling, and cinematography.

The Keira Knightley-led Netflix spy thriller, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination, is a favourite of Princes William and Harry, and Princesses Kate and Meghan alike. Speaking to People magazine, the Duchess of Sussex revealed that she loved catching up on TV with her husband after a long day, and that they’d just finished watching the popular show. The series has also been a favourite at Kensington Palace; during a party for the 1st Battalion Mercian Regiment in Wiltshire last Christmas, Prince William shared that he had been watching the show with his wife over the festive period. Black Doves debuted with an impressive 100 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, and we share in the Sussexes and Waleses’ anticipation of its upcoming second season.

In her interview with People magazine, Meghan also shared another TV show that she and Prince Harry were enjoying. The Apple TV+ original debuted in 2023, starring Jason Segel as a therapist who decides to start telling his patients exactly what’s on his mind. Segel stars alongside Harrison Ford, and the show currently has two seasons, with a third on the way. The Duchess of Sussex shared that the pair of them “loved” the show, and they’re not alone – the show’s second season was recognised as one of the top ten TV programs of the year by the American Film Institute. The Sussexes clearly have great taste!

The Princess of Wales is a longtime fan of the dance contest show, and even stepped out for a secret tour of the studio with her husband and Prince Louis in 2023. Marie Claire reported that while Kate was the Strictly mega-fan of the two, William had tuned into a couple of episodes, and also jokingly asked host Claudia Winkleman why she never danced on-screen, to which she replied, “I’m too creaky!” Could there be a royal appearance on Strictly in the near future? We smell a crowd favourite…

A royal source revealed that, following her successful abdominal surgery in 2024, Princess Kate was enjoying catching up her favourite guilty pleasure shows during her recovery, including Hulu’s The Kardashians. Following on from Keeping Up With the Kardashians, which ran for an astounding 20 seasons, the reality series continues to chronicle the glamorous lives of the Kardashian-Jenner clan. Like the rest of us, the Princess of Wales no doubt enjoys the plethora of scandals and drama packed into every episode!

Rivals co-star Aidan Turner also stars in another favourite show of the royal family, this time King Charles himself! During a visit to Fowey, South Cornwall, the county where the majority of filming took place, the King said: “What I can’t get over watching that Poldark stuff on TV is how many he [author Winston Graham ] wrote…”. Graham wrote 12 books in the series, with just over half of them being used as material for the hit TV adaptation. With its stunning Cornish coastal shots and rich historical undertones, we’re not surprised King Charles enjoys watching this series.

The John Simm-led series captured Queen Camilla’s attention so much that she even paid a visit to the set of the ITV adaptation. Speaking about her visit, Peter James, the author of the hit novels, told Hello!: “About six years ago, a friend of mine rang me and he said, ‘Get today’s Daily Mail.’ There was a photograph of Camilla in her office with about six of my books behind her head.” The British crime drama, set in Brighton and Hove, has been renewed for a sixth season, which is anticipated to air next year.