Queen Elizabeth’s royal aides have warned comedian Russell Brand to keep his set clean at the Royal Variety Performance tonight (03.12.07).
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Officials are concerned Russell – who is headlining the charity event at Liverpool’s Empire theatre where the queen will be guest of honour – could repeat his performance at the BRIT Awards earlier this year, when he made a quip about looking at photographs of the queen’s privates.
A source said: “We will not find it funny if Mr Brand makes the queen the butt of his jokes tonight.
“We’ve had a quiet word with him, but we are still concerned as he has a reputation as a lose cannon and we can’t be sure he will keep things clean.”
Russell – who sparked 500 complaints when he hosted the BRITs – has revealed he is worried about what he is going to say when he meets the monarch after the show.
He said: “The worst thing I’ll do is say something stupid. I’m not going to hit the queen, but what if I made a suggestion to kick her shoe off? Or for her to throw some jewellery at me. Maybe I’ll do that.”
The Royal Variety Performance – which will be screened on ITV1 next Sunday (09.12.07) – will be presented by TV personalities Philip Schofield and Kate Thorton and also feature performances from rocker Jon Bon Jovi and singer James Blunt.
This year’s show will be in aid of the Entertainment Artistes Benevolent Fund.
