Queen Elizabeth II turned down a private Paul McCartney performance to watch Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks composer Angelo Badalamenti recalled the moment in a resurfaced interview

Queen Elizabeth II apparently loved Twin Peaks so much that she once turned down a private Paul McCartney performance to instead catch a new episode of the David Lynch drama.

Following the death of the Queen on Thursday (8 September), a past interview resurfaced in which Twin Peaks composer Angelo Badalamenti recalled the incident.

“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 explained in an interview included in a Twin Peaks DVD box set .

Then he retold the story that The Beatles musician told him back in the 1990s.

“[McCartney] said, ‘I was asked by the Queen’s office to perform 35 minutes of my music to celebrate her birthday at Buckingham Palace. I’m very excited about it, and here comes the night, and I’m about to go on and the Queen kind of walks by me and says, ‘Oh Mr McCartney, it was just so lovely to see you tonight.’

“And he says, ‘Well, your Highness, I am so delighted that you invited me to help celebrate your birthday and I’m now going to perform for you, 35 minutes of my best works.’”

Badalamenti laughingly added: “She said, ‘Oh Mr McCartney, I’m sorry, but I can’t stay.’

“And Paul says, ‘But your Highness.’ ‘McCartney, don’t you see, it’s five minutes of eight, I must go upstairs and watch Twin Peaks.’”

In addition to the US mystery series, Elizabeth II’s favourite TV shows included Pointless, The Kumars at No 42, Strictly Come Dancing, Antiques Roadshow, and Downton Abbey, according to long-suggested rumours.

Other reports have suggested that she once asked that a Doctor Who box set be sent to Balmoral, and that she told actor Peter Sallis that she loved Last of the Summer Wine.

Follow the latest updates as the world pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth II