By Royal Appointment starring Anne Reid and Caroline Quentin will be at Mayflower Theatre, Southampton

NATIONAL treasure Anne Reid will appear alongside Caroline Quentin in By Royal Appointment at Mayflower Theatre, Southampton.

Famed for her discretion, the late Queen Elizabeth II never said anything in public that could ruffle the lightest of feathers. But she had one way of expressing what she really thought – through her wardrobe.

Written by Daisy Goodwin, who created the hit ITV series Victoria, By Royal Appointment is described as a funny, poignant and celebratory new play about the kind of power that only a Queen can wield as she charms the world through coats and admonishes her family through a carefully chosen hat.

But the Queen herself is uninterested in fashion, her look is managed by her designer, her milliner and, most powerful of all, her dresser – who was a working-class girl who goes from advising the Queen on the colour of her lipsticks to the real power behind the throne. But the dresser, like all royal favourites, is living on borrowed time.

By Royal Appointment promises a behind-the-scenes peek into the world of our most popular monarch and the image she presented to the world.

The play stars TV’s Reid as the Queen. Reid is well known for her roles in Doctor Who, Jane Eyre, Bleak House, Life Begins, Dinnerladies and Shameless. She said: “I have a huge responsibility to get the voice right. “And her posture. None of the royal family slouch: I think they are taught that from very early on.

“It’s nice for me to be playing upper class. Normally when there’s a northern, working-class person, that would be me. So I’m loving this!”

Alongside Reid, Quentin plays the dresser. She said: “Daisy has written this play around the really memorable clothes. You don’t know you remember them until you actually see them and then you suddenly think, ‘I remember that pink hat and coat,’ or ‘Oh, yes, that was an extraordinary hat’. The narrative is told through couture: it’s amazing.”

By Royal Appointment is on stage at Mayflower Theatre, Southampton from 9th to 12th July. For more information visit www.mayflower.org.uk or contact the box office on 023 8071 1811.