Queen Consort Camilla reveals she is a huge Happy Valley fan as she meets Sarah Lancashire

The Queen Consort and BAFTA award-winning actress Sarah Lancashire met at Buckingham Palace this afternoon – and it was difficult to tell who was more startstruck.

Camilla, 75, wore a crisp pinstripe skirt suit as she met with Lancashire, 58, who was glamorous in a black maxi dress with a floral pattern.

The beloved actress who is best-known for playing tough copper Sergeant Catherine Cawood in lauded BBC production Happy Valley attended an event at the Palace to mark International Women’s Day.  

A video of the meeting between the actress and the Queen Consort, posted on Twitter by the Daily Mail’s Rebecca English, showed Lancashire looking poised with her thick blonde locks swept into a low bun as she waited to meet Camilla. 

She appeared to be standing next to Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who returned to the UK last year after being imprisoned in Iran since 2016.

When Lancashire’s turn came to meet Camilla, she beamed, shook her hand and curtseyed and exclaimed: ‘I’m so excited to meet you!’ 

Chuckling, she added: ‘I’m so delighted’ as the Queen Consort chatted to her.

And it appears Camilla is just as big a fan of Lancashire, as she asked a question that appeared to be about Happy Valley to which the actress replied: ‘Well, there’s no season four.’

After a long-anticipated series three of the West-Yorkshire based drama which followed Catherine Cawood as she navigated bringing up her grandson Ryan while keeping him away from the clutches of his rapist and murderer father, Tommy Lee Royce, concluded last month, fans who had followed the Sally Wainwright drama from its first series in 2014 were left desperate for more.

It appears the Queen Consort was one such fan as she met with the star of the drama at the Palace, but sadly Wainwright has confirmed the show is finished for good.

Sarah Lancashire (pictured right), 58, was thrilled to meet the Queen Consort (left) at an International Women’s Day event at Buckingham Palace this afternoon – but Camilla seemed to be just as pleased to meet the actress and revealed herself as a huge Happy Valley fan

Upon meeting the Queen Consort, Sarah Lancashire shook her hand, curtseyed and exclaimed she was ‘so excited’ to meet her

The Queen Consort and Sarah Lancashire were deep in conversation as Camilla, 75, asked Lancashire what was next in the pipeline for her career

Lancashire’s face lit up as it was her turn to greet the Queen Consort as she said she was ‘delighted’ to be at the event and beamed

As the pair continued their discussion, Camilla’s words could not quite be made out, however Lancashire said: ‘It’s the right thing to do,’ which may also have been in reference to the end of the programme.

She added: ‘We just can’t keep doing it’ saying it was an ’emotional’ project to work on. 

Camilla, clearly taken by the talented actress in her presence, continued to ask about Lancashire’s future career direction.

The actress revealed: ‘Well at the moment, I’ve just started to produce.’

The Queen Consort’s lady-in-waiting joked that the series finale of Happy Valley had been ‘traumatic’ – although she seemed to also be a huge fan of the show.

Looking humbled by the conversation, Lancashire said: ‘Well thank you very much indeed. I’m amazed you found time to watch’ before chuckling as the Queen Consort continued to shower her with praise.

Lancashire rose to fame as a national treasure on the soap Coronation Street, where she played ditzy barmaid Raquel Watts (née Wolstenhulme) from 1991 to 1996.

She has gone on to appear in Where the Heart Is, Last Tango in Halifax, Kiri, The Accident and most recently as TV chef Julia Child in the HBO series Julia – also winning her fans across the pond.

But the Oldham-born actor, 58, came from humble beginnings, and before her ‘big break’ in acting starred in local theatre productions and worked as a drama teacher to stay afloat financially before jobs.

As a teenager, Lancashire had little interest in acting and originally set out to work behind the scenes in television.

At the age of 18, she won a place at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where her passion for acting was ignited.

In 1990 she first appeared as Raquel Watts in Corrie and her character married Curly, before walking out on him in 1996 to take an aromatherapy job in Kuala Lumpur.

Since her stint on the cobbles Lancashire has risen up the ranks in the TV world and now has two BAFTAs to her name – both of them for roles in Sally Wainwright dramas.

As well as a gong for Catherine Cawood, she also has a best supporting actress BAFTA for her role as Caroline in Last Tango in Halifax.