The X Factor, the talent show responsible for giving the world Harry Styles, One Direction, Little Mix and Leona Lewis, used to be a big deal in the United Kingdom, and proof of that is the fact that an actual Royal was apparently hanging out backstage.
Famous tough-love judge Simon Cowell told talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel that Prince Harry was a big fan of The X Factor and would come to the studio to watch the show from his dressing room.
Unlike the late Queen Elizabeth II, who Cowell said “had no idea who I was,” Harry wanted to be a part of the show, but he couldn’t very well sit in the audience like everyone else. Cowell did offer another reason why he might have felt the need to come to the studio to watch the show. “I don’t think our show was allowed [at the Palace], that’s probably why he came down” he joked when Kimmel asked whether the Royal had access to cable.
The Duke of Sussex, who has distanced himself from Royal duties in the past few years, left quite an impression on the man who was once Britain’s most famous music mogul. “The sweetest, nicest guy,” Cowell shared, adding “He’s really cool, and just like really normal, and polite, but charming. Really nice guy.”
The conversation, of course, stemmed from the news that Queen Elizabeth II, who had been the head monarch of the British crown for the past 70 years, had passed away at 96. Kimmel asked Cowell to share a little bit about his experience meeting the Queen, which he said was “amazing,” despite there not really being any conversation between the two. “I was in awe, because you are told what to say, what not to say. But it’s like ‘My God, I’ve met the Queen,” Cowell gushed.
