Royal SQUARE!

KELLIE BRIGHT on welcoming the future King and Queen of England to Walford

EASTENDERS

MON-HOL THU, 7.30PM, BBC1 SOAP

Some big names have stepped foot in Albert Square over the years, but nothing quite like this... As part of Walford's Jubilee celebrations this week, the residents get a visit from their Royal Highnesses Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall!

The scenes were secretly filmed back in March - it turns out there was more to their much-publicised 'set tour' than we thought.

Here, in an exclusive interview, star Kellie Bright, 45, who plays Linda Carter, tells TV Times about a day that the cast and crew will never forget...

When did you first know of the visit?

There was a secret squirrel meeting about four weeks before we filmed it. For security reasons, it was really important that people who weren't involved didn't know, so everybody was very respectful of that. We all felt excited and so lucky. What a wonderful thing to be a part of!

What happens on screen?

So Mick has applied to be part of The Big Jubilee Lunch and gets a phone call saying, 'You have been randomly selected to have a visit on the day by Their Royal Highnesses Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.' He's not allowed to tell anyone, but he does share it with Linda, who is a huge royalist.

We filmed on 31 March and it actually snowed on the dress rehearsal - there we were in our summer gear, pretending it was June! Everyone had their fingers crossed it wouldn't snow on the actual take, because we only had one go; it was all filmed 'as live'. Thankfully, the weather perked up.