The Duchess of Cornwall has joined the star-studded cast of the Roald Dahl Story Company’s unique retelling of the children’s classic James and the Giant Peach.
Her Royal Highness features alongside Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave, Us) and Josh Gad (Frozen, Beauty and the Beast) in episode six of James and the Giant Peach, with Taika and Friends, and plays The Ship’s Captain - her first ever character performance.
The series, narrated by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok, The Mandalorian, Jojo Rabbit), can be enjoyed on the Roald Dahl YouTube channel now.
Some of the biggest names in Hollywood have already taken part, including Meryl Streep, Ryan Reynolds and Benedict Cumberbatch.
With so many multi-award-winning stars on the cast list, The Duchess of Cornwall can be forgiven for being a little apprehensive: “I’m not much of an actor”, she tells Taika before they begin, but fans of the series so far will no doubt be thrilled by her brilliant reading and obvious passion for storytelling.
The Duchess, who has long supported the Roald Dahl Story Company’s charitable endeavours as the Royal Patron of Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity in the UK, is lending her time to the campaign in order to support charities currently impacted by Covid-19.
‘James and Giant Peach, with Taika and Friends’ aims to raise money for Partners In Health, a medical and social justice organization fighting COVID-19 and supporting public health systems in some of the most vulnerable communities around the world. As audiences tune in they are invited to donate if they can to Partners In Health by visiting www.pih.org/giantpeach. Just $10 can provide much needed PPE for health workers operating on the front line. The Roald Dahl Story Company has committed to matching $1 million of donations, with other donors lined up for matching beyond this milestone.
The campaign forms part of a long-term charitable commitment for the Roald Dahl Story Company who recently donated $1.3 million to Partners In Health for maternal health in Sierra Leone. Overall, The Roald Dahl Story Company and Dahl Family have given over $12 million to date to charitable causes.
Further surprise readers for James and the Giant Peach, with Taika and Friends will be announced in due course.
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall said: “I hope this campaign will raise vital funds to support those most in need at this very challenging time – as well as helping families and children currently in lockdown to find a moment of comfort through the joy of reading.”
Luke Kelly, Managing Director of The Roald Dahl Story Company said: “Our goal is to bring joy and escapism to children and families at this very tough time – but also to raise vital funds for Partners in Health who are working on the front line in the fight against Covid-19.
“The participation of Her Royal Highness is a very special moment in this campaign and we feel so privileged to have her involvement – we know parents and children in lockdown all over the world are going to love this episode and we look forward to revealing further surprises in due course.”
