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Queen Elizabeth II Skipped a Private Paul McCartney Concert to Watch ‘Twin Peaks’
Her Majesty loved corgis, horses, and apparently, David Lynch.

Queen Elizabeth II Skipped a Private Paul McCartney Concert to Watch ‘Twin Peaks’

As the world mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth II, many celebrities who met the long-serving monarch are sharing stories about her. Though the Queen’s famously stoic public persona prevented the world from learning many details about her private life, some of the stories that ultimately leak reveal that there was so much more to her than she showed while performing her official duties.

Case in point: Her Majesty was a David Lynch fan.

In an interview with NME that has resurfaced in light of the Queen’s death, Lynch’s longtime composer Angelo Badalamenti, recalled Paul McCartney telling him that the Queen was a fan of “Twin Peaks.” Badalamenti composed music for both the show’s original run and its 2017 revival, so the former Beatle thought he’d get a kick out of learning that his work had made it to Buckingham Palace. As it turns out, the Queen liked the show so much that she was willing to miss a performance by McCartney at her own birthday party to watch the show.

“Back when ‘Twin Peaks’ was kicking off around the world, I flew by Concorde to London, to work with Paul McCartney at Abbey Road,” Badalamenti said. “He said, ‘Let me tell you a story’. Not long before we met, he’d been asked to perform for the Queen for her birthday celebrations. And when he met her, he started to say, ‘I’m honored to be here tonight, your Majesty, and I’m going to play some music for you.’ And the Queen says, ‘I’m sorry, I can’t stay, it’s five to eight and I have to go and watch ‘Twin Peaks!’”

While it would be understandable if the former Beatle felt slighted, it’s also hard to blame Her Majesty for wanting to watch the show. “Twin Peaks” was appointment viewing during its original run, and before we knew who killed Laura Palmer, fans didn’t want to miss a morsel of information. In the days before streaming and on demand viewing, the Queen probably figured that there would be other Paul McCartney concerts, and “Twin Peaks” was simply more important. Anyone who has cancelled plans to binge watch the new season of their favorite show that just dropped should be able to understand.