Royal fans have been left surprised over the last few hours after pictures emerged of Queen Camilla laughing with British actor and comedian James Corden, who is believed to be a friend of Prince Harry.

While it is unclear where the relationship between Camilla, 77, and Harry, 40, stands, it is no secret that the Duke of Sussex, 40, was less than positive about Her Majesty and the Royal Family in his 2023 memoir Spare, which reportedly fractured a number of the relationships he shared with his royal relatives.

This meant the Queen’s appearance on Tuesday at Buckingham Palace with Harry’s friend James Corden came as a surprise to royal fans, with the pair having met at a reception hosted by Her Majesty for the National Theatre.

The Queen, who has been patron of the National Theatre since 2022, spent time meeting actors, staff and supporters of the organisation at the reception, where she was also treated to a performance.

Photographs of Camilla meeting James show the pair laughing together.

One fan wrote on X: “I’m surprised to see James Corden there.”

Another said: “James Corden looks like he’s jumped ship and hanging with real royals now.”

A third commented: “Isn’t he buddies with Harry?”

The duke had previously appeared on James’ The Late Late Show, with James showing Harry around LA on an open top bus in 2021.

During the programme, Harry also opened up on some of his struggles during his time as a working royal and shared some hilarious moment including the late Queen and Prince Philip.

The pair seemed to be on friendly terms at the time, with James even face-timing Meghan Markle from Prince Harry’s phone.

James was just one of a number of famous actors present, including Lesley Manville, Cate Blanchett, Rory Kinnear, Imelda Staunton and Jim Carter.