Film / News

Queen visits Bristol sets of BAFTA-winning series

By Karen Johnson  Monday Dec 8, 2025

Queen Camilla visited the sets of a hit series filming for its second season in Bristol.

The Queen arrived at the Bottle Yard Studios on Monday morning for a behind-the-scenes tour of the set of Disney+ show Rivals.

She observed filming, interacted with cast and crew members and saw the exclusive reveal of the new ‘Master Dog’ set of the show.

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Victoria Smurfitt, who plays Maud O’Hara on the show, was seen interacting with the Queen during her visit

The BAFTA-winning series first premiered in 2024 and revolves around the arch-rivalry of Rupert Campbell-Black and Tony Baddingham.

Produced by The Happy Prince, the comedy-drama is an adapted version of the 1988 novel of the same name by Jilly Cooper.

Cast members who met the Queen included Alex Hassell, David Tennant, Nafessa Williams and Victoria Smurfitt.

On the show’s sets, the Queen also visited their costume department, which celebrates styles and fashion statements from the 1980s.

The visit was part of the show’s production team’s collaboration with The King’s Foundation, with an alumnus of the foundation also present to showcase some of the costume work featured on the show.

The second season of the Rivals will premiere in 2026 on Hulu in the US and on Disney+ in the UK and internationally.

All photos: Robert Viglasky Photography

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