Helena Bonham Carter knows a little something about royal drama. Over the course of her wide-ranging career, the British actress has played two Queens (Lady Jane Grey and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen mother), and she's currently starring in the Netflix series The Crown as Princess Margaret.
But over the weekend at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, she shared her thoughts on some off-screen royal news: Harry and Meghan's shocking announcement that they will be stepping back from their senior positions in the royal family.
The Sussexes recently decamped to Canada, and have agreed to give up their public funding and to stop using their formal royal titles in exchange for the freedom to pursue opportunities in the private sector.
Perhaps stating the obvious, Bonham Carter said it will be “very interesting to see what they do [next].”
“I think the world is their oyster,” she continued. “But now they’re masters of their own destiny. Good luck to them.”
Previously, Bonham Carter had offered Meghan some advice about dealing with the press during an interview on Bravo. "I don’t pay attention to it, and I wish she wouldn’t have to," she said. "I feel like there’s just so much. It’s just all too much. It must be really hard for her not to, but all I’d say to her is, as soon as you become well known and in the public, it’s a domain you have to kind of accept."
The Crown took home the trophy for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series at Sunday night's SAG awards ceremony, and Bonham Carter accepted the award alongside her cast mates, Erin Doherty, who plays a young Princess Anne in the Netflix series, and Josh O'Connor, who plays Prince Charles.
"It's the most fun job, and I'm amazed that we get a prize on top of the fun-ness of doing it, and it's our privilege to be in this great show. I've had the time of my life. I think we all have, and it's really as good as it gets, this show" she said. "I really recommend it, if you want another job. It's amazing how well-produced this thing is."
Watch her full acceptance speech here:
As the digital director for Town & Country, Caroline Hallemann covers culture, entertainment, and a range of other subjects
