By Royal Appointment UK tour: watch the new trailer

A new trailer has been released for the UK tour of By Royal Appointment, Daisy Goodwin's play about Queen Elizabeth II and the woman who dressed her. Jane Asher stars as the Queen, with Laura Main as her Dresser, and the tour continues until 6 February 2027.

The trailer runs just over a minute and offers a first proper look at the production in motion. It is now at Chelmsford Theatre, from 20 to 24 October.

Watch the By Royal Appointment trailer on YouTube

The cast

Alongside Jane Asher and Laura Main, best known to television audiences for Call the Midwife, the company includes David Robb as the Designer, Matthew Cottle as the Milliner and Laura Matthews as the Curator. Jeremy Drakes plays a Footman and understudies the Designer and the Milliner, while Fiona Tong plays a Footman and understudies the Queen, her Dresser and the Curator.

The play is directed by Anthony Banks and designed by Jonathan Fensom, with lighting design by Richard Howell, sound design by Sarah Weltman and composition by Ben Ringham. It is presented by Daniel Schumann and Lee Dean in association with Cambridge Arts Theatre, where the tour began in September.

Where the tour goes next

After opening in Cambridge, the production visited Nottingham's Theatre Royal earlier this month. The remaining dates, as listed by each venue, are:

• Chelmsford Theatre, Chelmsford: 20 to 24 October 2026
• York Theatre Royal, York: 10 to 14 November 2026
• His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen: 12 to 16 January 2027
• Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester: 19 to 23 January 2027
• King's Theatre, Edinburgh: 26 to 30 January 2027
• Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury: 2 to 6 February 2027

Several stops have accessible performances. In Chelmsford, the Wednesday matinee on 21 October is captioned, while the Edinburgh week includes a captioned performance on Thursday 28 January and an audio described and British Sign Language performance on the Saturday matinee, 30 January, with a touch tour beforehand.

What is the play about?

The late Queen was famous for her discretion and never said anything in public that might ruffle the lightest of feathers. But she had one way of showing what she really thought: her wardrobe. Goodwin's comedy drama imagines the kind of power only a monarch can wield, charming the world through a coat and quietly admonishing her family with a carefully chosen hat.

The Queen herself, though, has little interest in fashion. Her look is managed by her Designer, her Milliner and, most powerful of all, her Dresser, a working-class woman who rises from advising on the colour of a lipstick to become the real power behind the throne. Like all royal favourites, however, she is living on borrowed time. The play looks at how the pair shaped the public image of Britain's longest reigning monarch, and what that partnership cost.

Who wrote it?

The play was Daisy Goodwin's first for the stage. She created the ITV historical drama Victoria, and her novels include The Last Duchess, The American Heiress and Diva. As a television producer her credits include Grand Designs and Escape to the Country. Her more recent play, about Queen Victoria, was staged at the Watermill in Newbury in April 2026.

How long is the show, and who is it for?

The running time is around 2 hours 20 minutes, including an interval. York recommends it for ages 14 and over. Early notices quoted by the venues include The Times, which said "Goodwin's dialogue crackles with wit", and Bath Magazine, which called it "poignant, thoughtful and elegantly clever".

Watch the trailer

The new trailer gives a taste of the wit and the wardrobe, with Asher in full regal poise and Main as the confidante who knows exactly which hat will send the right message. For anyone in Essex, Chelmsford is the place to see the play on stage this week, before it heads north to York in November and resumes in the new year.

Header image: official artwork.