The Windsors (2016– ) User Reviews

Fun spoof on tabloids

[neilandjo-120-342587 · 8/10 · 12 June 2016]

The charming comedic performances of so many of the cast makes The Windsors great fun, particularly Hugh Skinner as Wills. He is ably supported by Louise Ford's Kate, Harry Enfield's Charles, Haydn Gwynn's manipulative and dangerous Camilla, Katy Wix as Fergie and Matthew Cottle as Edward.

The writers take the tabloid profile of the royals and twist it further. (Camilla is obsessed by continuing her own bloodline, Wills thinks republics are fairer than monarchies; Harry is a sex-obsessed illiterate fool; and Kate and Pippa are gypsies, with scheming Pippa willing to seduce anyone in order to get what she wants - often Harry.)

Not deep, not probing, but funny and different. Worth a try at least.

Loved it!

[Michellemybell1 · 8/10 · 21 January 2018]

It's been a long time since I've laughed as loud and as often as I did at this show. The caricatures of the royals were spot on, taking their foibles (as we all have) and stretching them into comic gold. It got to the point that all Fergie and her girls would have to do is appear on the screen, and I would laugh, knowing I would have a good time. The show is not perfect, but there's enough good stuff that I could coast through the parts that weren't, knowing a clever/funny scene was around the bend.

ERII, Prince Phillip, and the Cambridge kids' characters didn't appear on screen, but Phillip's curmudgeonly ways were represented in other ways, to great comic effect.

Hilarious!

[Kingslaay · 8/10 · 7 February 2018]

This show is simply hilarious and in many ways quite well done. It never goes overboard and the jokes in some cases are not too stretched. The Royal Family is portrayed for what it is and the value it adds. The freeloading, excessive behavior and spending and absolute ignorance is funnily portrayed. While the Queen herself has led a dignified life those who surrounded her and came after her have lived anything but a dignified life.

It is great fun and a good laugh to poke fun at the Royal family but at the same time being somewhat factual and not overdoing it.

Horribly offensive, I loved every minute

[Zerbey · 9/10 · 18 May 2018]

Not since Spitting Image have we had a show the pokes fun at the Royal Family and British Government with such sharp wit and excellent satire. It's about time. Yes, it's incredibly offensive and disrespectful, but that's the whole point. I'm a proud monarchist myself, but the whole thing is so completely ludicrous and over the top it's impossible to not laugh out loud.

So nice to see Harry Enfield back at the top of his game, he's been sadly missed in comedic roles over the last couple of decades it seems (anyone remember Harry Enfield and Chums?). His larger than life portrayal of Prince Charles is nothing short of genius.Vicki Pepperdine as Princess Anne is another highlight, as is Kathryn Drysdale's re-imagining of Meghan Markle.

Windsors, like you have never seen before!

[bettycjung · 30 December 2017]

12/30/17. What a hoot! I loved it. This is the perfect parody about the royal family, and royal watchers would definitely enjoy it. Great writing and decent cast and good acting make this a must-see. Can't wait for additional episodes!

was hilarious

[rachaelsfun · 7/10 · 17 February 2020]

Def a laugh and a few things said in it that we were all thinking .. esp about pippa being only famous/ known for her "fantastic ass" all the charecters look like the real ppl even camilla is bang on and the accents :) wonder if the royal family watch this and what they think ?? def worth watching for a good laugh :D

Irreverant and closer to the truth than palace press releases?

[guyau-399-68372 · 9/10 · 23 December 2017]

This show is hilarious and a great foil to the palace press barrage that the media regurgitates mindlessly, summed up beautifully by my favourite line of the series from Will (or is it Harry, they all sound the same to me): "I love riding around on bicycles, wearing chinos and jumpers, and pretending to be like ordinary people."

This is a merciless portrayal of the royals as a bunch of airheads, albeit mostly good-natured,but when your only real talent is being born (or marrying) into the right family, perhaps it's not that far off the mark. I'd like to say this is political satire at its best, skewering an anachronism that only undermines modern democracy, but really it's just making fun of a musty institution and its all-too-public characters. The impersonations are spot on and the irreverence is delicious.

fairly funny and surprisingly affectionate

[gilleliath · 7/10 · 26 February 2020]

This is back after quite a long hiatus, with some cast changes and - to judge by the storyline - it's because it's been given a new lease of life by the recent shenanigans of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. The royal family are such a soft, slow-moving target that you feel the script must almost write itself, but it's brought to life by the fun performances and ludicrous accents. The satire, too, is ludicrous rather than malicious - it never really hits them where it hurts. In fact it's claimed that (non-specific) royals love the show and I can well believe they might, as although they are presented as useless and dim-witted it still makes them far more interesting and appealing than they really are. I bet Camilla PB, especially, has it in her Favourites.

It's definitely been one of the better Britcoms of recent years, and almost the only one that actually deserves a third series, but I think it's significant that it's a send-up; that seems to be the only thing British comedy can still do well (cf the undeservedly short-lived The Agency, also with Morgana Robinson, and The Goes Wrong Show).

Stick with it . . . Hilarious!

[diedgecombe · 10/10 · 17 May 2016]

Hilarious! An irreverent look at the royals with many familiar tropes. Charles and the 3 degrees, Edward and his thespian longings, and . . . Even more, Who knew that Kate was a traveler! Harry Enfield is wonderful as Charles, Hayden Gwyne makes a great Camilla and pippa is dastardly. Looking forward to more and future developments. . . I.e. Will fergie reunite with Andrew, will Edward get a real job, will pippa get it on with Harry, and who will succeed the monarchy? It's almost like game of thrones but without the violence, sex, and so far, no red weddings. However, there is still time for murder and mayhem and I'm sure the delightful Beatrice and Eugenie will instigate plenty of chaos and disaster.

Vulgar but safe satire with heart

[VHSdynamite · 6/10 · 28 February 2020]

I dont really laugh a lot at this show. The jokes are taking predictable stabs at the royal family. Often the joke is a royalty admitting their fault in some way. The jokes come at a frequent, quite tiresome rate and are very "tell, don't show".

What I like about the series is the expressive actors and the characters they portray. From the cartoonishly evil Camilla to Pippa the seductress, and the very strange man Charles. They are all good archetypes with consistent goals, virtues and vices. And after a couple of seasons I've actually astarted to care about these loony characters.

The plots are entertaining and sometimes quite touching.

The show draws on classic stage comedy with charicatures and clear, somethimes vulgar jokes. Most of them come across as inside jokes and are probaby mostly funny as an outlet to people who live under the real royal family. For an outsider, the show may be a bit of an oddity.

Plenty of gags but no substance

[paul2001sw-1 · 3/10 · 4 June 2016]

The late Sue Townsend wrote the definitive fantasy satire about the royal family. Townsend was a strong opponent of gross inequalities of wealth but her books worked because they were written with an element of imaginative sympathy. 'The Windsors' can be seen as another effort in the same vein, but it's not nearly as successful. It's completely over-the-top, repetitive, tediously uses bad language to fill in any gaps in the dialogue (heavy music also covers up the flimsiness of the writing), and doesn't try to inveigh any of its characters with substance. There are a few funny 'Airplane'-style gags but the relentless one-dimensional nature soon grates. It feels like a series of sketches ill-advisedly stitched together into a series. Somehow I don't feel like there'll be a second one.

Watch it for Harry Enfield!

[the_headspace · 10/10 · 3 December 2019]

Harry Enfield's Charles is pure comic genius, one of the funniest things I've ever seen on TV.

Every word, facial expression and reaction shot is comic perfection.

Every one of the actors is brilliant, though Enfield is a tour de force.

I'm not sure if non-Brits will get it, but this really is spot on!

Not for Royalists

[tarkadiotta · 6/10 · 25 May 2016]

First off it's after the watershed so expect bad language. It's not offensive in the slightest. Not sure what people expect from a satire broadcast on Channel 4 after 9pm. One slight let down is that the characters don't (by and large) look like the real people, but it grows on you. Harry is portrayed as a dim wit, William as a torn do-good- er who believes the Monarchy has no part in modern Britain. Camilla seems hell bent on changing the bloodline for the heir to the throne. Charles is determined to be King at any cost. The portrayal of Pippa and Kate as Gypsies is entertaining. Eugenie and Beatrice steal the show with their non-conformist attitudes to actual work. Edward as the black sheep who has a new job (sometimes a few jobs) per episode to make money is hilarious. (Watch out for the rescue of Harry from a Latvian mental institute by posing as a window cleaner) is hilarious. It has a loose story line and at times I just don't get the connection. William working undercover in a Greek cafe was just weird! It works if you like satire and can take a step back and appreciate it for what it is. A gentle mickey take at the monarchy. It genuinely has it's laugh out loud moments and even I, although I am a Republican, thoroughly admire Harry in particular. The YouTube bit with Eugenie and Beatrice was laugh out loud funny. It's not laugh a minute, but has several moments per episode that do make me laugh. Being from the North, I even found the northern stereotype when Kate (fresh from recovering from Ebola) and Camilla made a visit to a typically northern town. Flat caps, whippets etc. You take it for what it is. If you can laugh at yourselves, which the British are supposedly good at. You'll enjoy it in parts. As stated though. Eugenie, Beatrice, Edward and Harry are the stars of the show for the laughs.

The kind of comedy appealing to audiences that are inflicted with borderline intellectual functioning.

[alcarinque-461-844159 · 1/10 · 28 November 2019]

Unfunny and often tasteless, the kind of comedy suitable for borderline intellectual functioning, no wit whatsoever.

AS A MONARCHIST, I LOVE IT!!!

[agrippaalexander · 10/10 · 29 December 2017]

Truly hysterical, well written and beautifully acted. The writers have simply exaggerated what we already suspect: Camilla is a scheming bitch; Charles is a Dumb, Aristocratic Hippy; Pippa is a crazed Social Climber; William is Nice, Well-meaning but ineffectual; Harry is thick as a brick but a lovely person who needs mothering; Beatrice and Eugenie are desperate for cash but bad at EVERYTHING: Sarah Ferguson is desperate to get back in favour; Andrew is after £££ and Totty; Edward is utterly useless and will clean windows for cash! I'm a fervent Monarchist, but we Brits have a sense of humour -- especially about OURSELVES. The programme is great fun and totally harmless. I bet the younger Royals think it's great and the older Royals will never see it. I'm just disappointed there are only 12 episodes!!!

Did the Wedding Special miss the Mark(le)?

[BeltaneEve · 20 May 2018]

I watched the first two seasons of this a couple of months ago on Netflix and loved it, and when the 'Wedding Special' episode came out in time for the real Meghan/Harry wedding I was looking forward to it. Unfortunately, the quality of the show was simply not the same, perhaps because they were trying to parallel reality in this episode when before they were over-the-top, with the characters interacting with ghosts of former monarchs and paintings coming to life. It seemed like it was rushed in order to be out in time for the actual wedding, with some characters not even appearing (Andrew and Edward), while others who did appear seemed added in at the last minute as if there were scheduling conflicts (Camilla). Some of the actors almost seemed to have forgotten how they played the roles previously, and the whole thing just fell flat. Very disappointing overall, and I hope if they continue that they get back the spark they had originally.

Oight and Aboight

[owen-watts · 6/10 · 1 May 2023]

Starting in 2016 as a kind of satirical hysterical soap opera and then gradually doubling down over the years into its own specific semi-abstract "thing" - the Windsors has always been a rather cheap and cheerful affair, a little crass and obvious, but can wrong-foot you with a strange twist or surreal aside. Most importantly, it boasts the strongest ensemble comedy cast going: you've got Wix, Pepperdine, Robinson, Ellie White and so on. I found myself massively warming to it over the years to the point that I even went to see the "Endgame" play. Despite the tragic loss of one of the writers, it's a format that arguably could roll on ad infinitum, as long as the real dramas continue to do so.

Brilliant social satire

[andrew49 · 10/10 · 30 April 2018]

Thought i had to write for the first time as the top user review was very negative for me to read and i think not representative of the british zeitgeist at all..reality tv has nothing on this programme..one step up from spitting image (which was very well observed and constantly amusing) the satire and amazing character observations are so spot on and humorous..who doesn't love the music and appearance of gold digger pippa, gypsy kates back story is inspired,and poor fergie so sympathetic and maligned by the the system..who could fail to be swept up by the portrayal of Camilla ..the machinations are very credible and laugh out loud.. it taps into the humour and psyche of british people.. amused by the foibles of the royals whether they support them or not and is definitely a spoof comedy with realism ..who could want anything more entertaining (but do some research first for full effect lol) still hoping for the next series meghan markle here we come!

Funny!

[bonniecraw · 7/10 · 25 December 2023]

Funny! They absolutely nailed it with Charles and Camilla. They're both hilarious. Prince William was pretty good. Princess Kate wasn't the best likeness but was okay. Her personality seemed very different than that of the real Kate. I didn't care for their story line though. They couldn't have done worse with Harry and Pippa. Actor Harry looks nothing like the real Harry. Pippa's actress and storyline are terrible. And where's Meghan?

Princess Anne is a riot. Eugenie and Beatrice are a fun addition, but their story line isn't very well written. There's a lot of swearing which I didn't care for.

Great fun.

[mxyzr · 10/10 · 6 July 2017]

This is typical British humour at it's best. Great cast who deliver the excellent scripts with a straight face (and stiff upper lip.) I've just watched the first episode of season two and it's even funnier than the first series. The fact that we laugh at things like this is probably the reason that the monarchy survives in this country more's the pity.

dire

[tlloydesq · 3/10 · 8 July 2016]

I am guessing the writers took their script along to Channel 4 and it was deemed the worst script ever presented. Someone suggested a load of swearing - might get a few viewers. The a bright spark suggested making the script's dysfunctional family, wait for it, the British royal family. Brilliant. Throw in a few desperate actors and people might watch. And plenty did.

There is a semblance of a plot but the attempts at humour just don't work. The acting is fine, quite good in fact. But the script is just awful. In fact it might have been better had the sweary words been left out.

"Peep Show" & "The Thick of it" showed how to swear gracefully. All those years ago, "Spitting Image" showed how to satirise the royal family. This is neither graceful or satirical. Next!

Hilarious

[mcerceo · 10/10 · 7 September 2018]

I am just beginning my rewatching of the entire series for the fourth time. Yes I run a full time business but this is my go-to entertainment staple to laugh and relax after a 16 hour stressful work day.

Couldn't get interested enough to watch episode 2

[dan1406 · 2/10 · 13 May 2016]

If you haven't seen it, this short review may contain spoilers, so...fair warning to you.

Well, I can't say that I sat there and thoroughly watched the first episode all the way through, as I found the language quite offensive and the story lines to be fairly unbelievable.

The acting is simply awful, except for the clean-cut "Kate", who has a lot of potential. If you don't like Camilla as a true Royal, you will simply hate her character here after you find out what kind of person they portray her to be! William is portrayed as a buffoon who works in a fast-food joint wearing a fake moustache and nobody suspects he's Prince William, Harry is portrayed as sex-starved illiterate nincompoop, and Charles is a hen-pecked husband, dominated by Camilla. I never saw the Queen at all! Whether they'll work her in to a future episode remains to be seen.

I found it hard to pay attention and mostly had it on for noise while I did other things around the house, but from what I watched I don't think I'll be moving on to episode 2!

If this is what passes today as British humour, count me out on this one!

Hilarious

[hassan_isdead · 10/10 · 17 June 2016]

Great cast, great jokes and takes the p!ss (rightfully) at our antiquated system. The cast is amazing, and I especially love Edward and Fergie. but they're all hilarious.

The story gets a little wild but it has great dialogue and plenty of gags for repeat viewing.

You need to stick with it and fully watch it on All 4.

Can we have a real life referendum?!

10/10 Bring on series 2 please.

Hopefully we'll see the Queen and her foul mouthed husband in it!

Can we have a real life referendum?!

10/10 Bring on series 2 please.

Hopefully we'll see the Queen and her foul mouthed husband in it!

Sooo funny!!!

[kellysmith_1 · 10/10 · 22 October 2018]

I found this show about a month ago on Netflix & have already watched both seasons twice! I absolutely love it and just wish there were more episodes!

The characters/actors all do so well, I love all of them.

Poor Wills & Kate always trying to do "good" & act like "normal" people, Camilla constantly trying to take Kate down, Pippa trying to beat Kate in the social ladder, poor Harry is just plain stupid! I love Fergie, Prince Edward, Eugenie & Beatrice, Princess Anne, Charles and can't forget "Grandad Phil's emails!"

There are so many laugh-out-loud moments and one-liners each episode, it's so funny & clever.

There has been Royal news on tv this week since Harry & Megan are currently in Sydney, but I have no idea who those people are, they don't look like the Harry & Megan in this show and they are the ones I know!

Do yourself a favour and check this Show out!