Prince William and Prince Harry filmed a secret cameo in Star Wars: The Last Jedi – but the scene ended up on the cutting room floor for a very embarrassing reason
The royal cameo ended up on the cutting room floor(Image: (Image: Getty))
As Star Wars enthusiasts around the world gear up to celebrate Star Wars Day this Sunday, May 4, Royal aficionados are buzzing about a legendary scene that was left out of one of the saga’s blockbuster hits, featuring none other than Britain’s own Prince William and Prince Harry.
The Royal duo was slated for a hush-hush appearance in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, donning stormtrooper armor during their 2016 tour of Pinewood Studios. The princes shot their part in full regalia, supposedly sharing screen time with Benicio Del Toro’s character DJ, in a moment where stormtroopers are on elevator duty.
Yet, when the movie premiered in December 2017, there was no sign of the Royal siblings. Reports from that period suggest that the much-anticipated cameo was axed – not due to any shortcomings on their part.
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A source confided to the Mail on Sunday: “Stormtroopers have to be exactly 5ft 11in. At the time we shot it I think the feeling was that the scene would make the final movie. Everyone feels bad that William and Harry lost out on their big moment. However, the scene just didn’t work for the final cut so it was left out.”
The scene was cut due to the pair’s height(Image: (Image: Getty))
Prince Harry, at 6ft 1in, and Prince William, at 6ft 2in, simply eclipsed the standard height for stormtroopers, reports the Express. Despite the fact that today’s stormtroopers aren’t the clones seen in previous chapters, consistency remains crucial – and the Royal pair were just too tall to convincingly portray First Order soldiers.
Sources revealed that the disparity in the scene featuring Royal cameos was more evident upon review in the editing suite, leading to the tough call of scrapping the footage from the final cut. The buzz escalated when John Boyega, known for his role as Finn in Star Wars, admitted on ITV’s This Morning that the cameo of the royals was indeed left on the cutting room floor.
Discussing the princes’ participation, he expressed his frustration, “Yeah they were man, I’m sick of this. They were but they were cut out of the film.”
The Star Wars franchise is no stranger to celebrity cameos that are easy to miss. Notably, Daniel Craig donned a stormtrooper outfit in The Force Awakens, joining the ranks of Simon Pegg, Tom Hardy, and even Ed Sheeran who’ve all made brief appearances.
However, unlike these fleeting yet successful insertions, the princely feature was not destined to last. Speculation around their cameo began after their 2016 set visit, and only much later did inner circles disclose that the Royal pair had donned the complete attire to shoot their scene.
With their part removed, the two princes now find themselves among a unique group of Star Wars cast members whose moments didn’t make the film due to technicalities. Although they missed their moment on screen, they can at least enjoy the knowledge of having contributed to one of cinema’s largest box-office successes.
The Last Jedi pulled in an astonishing $1.3 billion globally and stands proud amongst the top ten films in worldwide ticket sales. The film boasted a star-studded cast including Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, Mark Hamill and the late Carrie Fisher, under the direction of Rian Johnson for the eighth installment of the iconic saga.
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