The Crown actress Helena Bonham Carter reveals she drunkenly asked Prince William to be her daughter's godfather

(Image credit: Neil Mockford/GC Images and Chris Jackson/Getty Images/Future)

published 25 February 2023

Helena Bonham Carter, the actress who played Princess Margaret in Netflix's The Crown, has revealed she drunkenly asked Prince William if he would be her daughter's godfather.

The actress who played Princess Margaret in Netflix's royal drama The Crown revealed that she asked Prince William to be her daughter's godfather when the two met at a party.
She explained that it 'obviously it didn’t work out,' with Prince William politely declining the offer.
In other royal news, Prince William's blunt comment during royal engagement has audience in fits of giggles.

Royal fans are always delighted when Hollywood royalty mixes with actual royalty and Prince William nearly got the opportunity to take this one step further and add the daughter of a very famous actress to his small roster of godchildren.

Actress Helena Bonham Carter has revealed how she drunkenly asked the Prince of Wales if he would act as her daughter, Nell's, godfather.

As well as being known among royal watchers for her brilliant portrayal of Princess Margaret in seasons three and four of Netflix's The Crown, Carter has starred in key roles in a variety of films from Harry Potter to Fight Club.

She has also played a number of royal roles outside of The Crown, most famously starring as the Queen Mother in The King’s Speech.

During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen to promote her role as Princess Margaret in Netflix ’s The Crown, Carter revealed how she drunkenly approached Prince William to invite him into her family.

She said, "I wasn’t that drunk... He wasn’t totally sober himself. Not in a bad way, it was just very jolly."

When asked why she singled out William as an ideal godparent she said, “Thing is, I’d spent all my friends as godparents on my first child, so Billy had 11 godparents. So, I thought I could make up for Nell, you know who suddenly came along and we didn’t have any left. I thought, ‘Well, if I give her Prince William that would cover,’ you know?”

However, the actress explained that William politely declined her offer, "He just said, 'You don’t want me to be godfather to your child.' And I left. I mean, obviously it didn’t work out."

Prince William is reported to currently have three godchildren including Prince Constantine Alexios of Greece and Denmark, Thomas Pettifer and Grace van-Cutsem.

His goddaughter Grace is perhaps better known to many royal fans as ‘the grumpy bridesmaid’ after she covered her ears on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

It is also possible that Prince William has a fourth godchild, though it has never been confirmed. Many people assume that William is Mia Tindall's godfather as her Mother, Zara Tindall, is Prince George's godmother and, as reported by The Mirror, Prince William was pictured attending Mia's christening along with one of Mike Tindall's closest friends.

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Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is a news writer for Goodtoknow, specialising in family content. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.