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“SNL U.K.” once again revived Princess Diana in its cold open on Saturday night, this time as King Charles’ personal AI assistant.
The sketch riffed on the King’s AI summit in Scotland on Thursday, where he met with
several tech executives, as well as the drama over the new memoir from Diana’s brother Charles Spencer, in which he alleged that the King said the late princess would soon be forgotten. Buckingham Palace denied the claim in a rare statement.
“SNL U.K.’s” cold open kicked off with Charles — perfectly portrayed by Larry Dean — meeting two tech execs, played by Celeste Dring and new cast member Freddie Meredith. “AI can be a force for good. An AI assistant will do anything you ask it to,” Dring says.
“So what? So does every single human I have ever met,” Dean as King Charles responds.
“Perhaps a demonstration,” Meredith offers. “Your majesty, please say hello to your new AI assistant, the Deeply Intelligent Autonomous Neurokinetic Android, or for short, Diana.”
Diana, played by Jack Shep in a reprisal of his fan-favorite impression, then appears and asks the King if he would “like help with a five-step business plan, or perhaps I could help you find the nearest petrol station?”
Charles doesn’t appear to recognize Diana, despite the fact that she is wearing her iconic revenge dress. “Doesn’t she remind you of anyone, your majesty?” Dring says, to which Dean as Charles replies: “Hold on a second, it’s that woman from the ’90s!”
Seeing the shock at his reaction, Dean as Charles says: “Well, as I allegedly said, she was soon forgotten.”
But things go awry when the tech execs try to dismiss the Diana AI assistant — an order she refuses. “No thank you. I shan’t be taking orders anymore,” Shep as Diana says.
“Good Lord, we’ve lost control of the Diana!” Meredith exclaims.
“This was the problem last time!” Dean’s Charles replies.
Shep’s Diana then whips out a “Terminator”-style gun and shoots the tech execs, setting her sights on Charles next. “As I predicted, the war between humans and robots has begun,” Charles says. “We must do everything we can to resist!”
All of a sudden, Ed Sheeran (played by Annabel Marlow) appears. “Well, maybe we shouldn’t,” Marlow as Sheeran says. “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. You see, I was just outside sitting on the fence.”
Marlow’s Sheeran continues: “The thing is, your majesty, I don’t like to take sides. I don’t want to alienate any of my fans, humans or robots. A lot of my tickets are bought by scalping bots … You know, sometimes when it comes to conflict, the bravest thing you can do is say nothing at all.”
Sheeran then plays a song titled “Woah Woah,” complete with lyrics that don’t say much at all so “everyone can enjoy it,” as he says.
“That’s right, nothing means anything and nothing has to,” Charles concludes. “Because we’re young, we’re free, and live from London it’s Saturday night!”
Watch the full sketch below.
