Jeff Goldblum opened the first episode of Saturday Night Live U.K. with a jazzy London number, then the show cut straight into the SNL UK Harry and Meghan sketch. The cold open put Prince Harry and Meghan Markle back in the line of fire over their return to England.
Charles’s first line set the money joke in motion: “Don’t tell me you’ve spent that Netflix money already.” Harry answered, “Daddy, it was $16 million.” That exchange gave the sketch its sharpest number and made the joke less about royal etiquette than about the value attached to the couple’s media deal.
Charles, Camilla and Balmoral Castle
The cold open was set at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, with Larry Dean as King Charles II and Emma Sidi as Queen Camilla. Charles then added, “What a waste you’ve become, you’re lucky your father is not around to see this,” while Camilla delivered, “I do love our weekends away. No responsibilities, just like every other day.”
Meghan’s side of the sketch leaned into lifestyle branding. Ayoade Bamgboye’s Meghan presented an ice tray to Camilla and said, “I made it myself,” then added, “I can give you the recipe. I’m a whizz in the kitchen.” Harry replied, “She hires the best chefs,” which pushed the bit from domestic chic into a jab at the couple’s curated image.
George Fouracres as Andy Burnham
George Fouracres also made his first appearance as Prime Minister Andy Burnham in the first episode. Burnham said, “I’m the new PM. And I’m nothing like the last one,” before closing with, “I will buy everybody a pint, because I want you to like me. I need you to like me.”
That second thread gives Season 2 a clear opening strategy: pair royal parody with a political impression that reads immediately. The result is a premiere built around recognizable figures, a $16 million reference point, and a joke that turns Harry and Meghan’s return to England into a live piece of pop-culture currency.
