Prince Harry Will Introduce a Royal Episode of 'Thomas the Tank Engine'
A special royal episode of Thomas & Friends will air in May to celebrate the character's 75th anniversary—and Prince Harry has filmed an introduction.
![london, united kingdom january 16 embargoed for publication in uk newspapers until 24 hours after create date and time prince harry, duke of sussex hosts the rugby league world cup 2021 draws for the mens, womens and wheelchair tournaments at buckingham palace on january 16, 2020 in london, england photo by max mumbyindigogetty images](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8MTHAjoRtuKh62d69AyBFC-415-80.jpg)
- A special royal episode of Thomas & Friends, the TV show featuring Thomas the Tank Engine, will air in May to celebrate the character's 75th anniversary—and Prince Harry has filmed a personal introduction.
- "I certainly have fond memories of growing up with Thomas & Friends," Harry said.
- The Queen and a young Prince Charles are both characters in the episode.
Well, here's an unexpected post-royal project from Prince Harry: The Duke of Sussex will introduce a special anniversary episode of Thomas & Friends, due to air in May, to mark 75 years since central character Thomas the Tank Engine first appeared in books. And it turns out baby Harry was a big fan of Thomas! In a statement, as reported by Sky News, he said, "I certainly have fond memories of growing up with Thomas & Friends and being transported to new places through his adventures."
"Thomas the Tank Engine has been a comforting, familiar face to so many families over the last 75 years—entertaining, educating and inspiring children on important issues through exciting stories and characters," Harry said. "I am very proud to have been asked to take part in this special episode." He filmed his introduction back in January, according to Sky News, before lockdown measures were put in place.
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Both Queen Elizabeth II and a young Prince Charles will appear as characters in the special episode (played by actors, presumably, though this would be an incredible way for the Queen to launch her voice acting career), while Rosamund Pike will voice a new character: fancy royal engine the Duchess of Loughborough.
The episode will air on May 1 on Netflix—and it seems safe to assume baby Archie will be watching.
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Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.
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