A decision from the late Queen remains one of the most unexpected - and bizarre - moments in recent royal history.

In 1987, members of the royal family took part in the TV show It's a Royal Knockout - an idea devised by Prince Edward. And it proved to be a watershed for the monarchy, for all the wrong reasons.

Staged at Alton Towers, the programme pitched four teams of celebrities - including John Travolta, George Lazenby, Toyah Willcox, Gary Lineker and Barbara Windsor — against each other in a series of silly games.

The team captains, meanwhile, were Prince Edward, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and his new wife, Sarah Ferguson.

Team captains Sarah Ferguson, Prince Edward, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne (
Image:
BBC)

It was a disaster and described as one of the "biggest c***-ups" in the royal family's history. According to royal expert Ben Pimlott, the late Queen really didn't like the idea from the very outset, along with all of her staff who also believed it would be a mistake.

An insider told Pimlott: "[The Queen] was against it, but one of her faults is that she can't say no."

Certainly, it was a catastrophe when it came to the mystery and prestige surrounding the royal family. Recalling the show on Channel 5's Fergie Vs Diana: Royal Wives at War, royal expert Jennie Bond said: "It's a Royal Knockout will go down in royal history as one of the biggest c**k-ups of all time I think.

Prince Andrew went head-to-head with his new wife, Sarah (
Image:
BBC)

"It was a disaster from beginning to end, it was absolutely humiliating. Sarah with her usual gusto entered into it, and if she gets into something she does it with bells on."

Not all of the royal family took up the offer of taking part. Speaking on the same documentary, the Daily Mail's Richard Kay said: "Diana famously didn't take part, neither did Charles. He thought it was something that was beneath them.

"In a way, it's kind of unfair, Fergie took a lot of the blame, almost the scapegoat. Her behaviour was being commented on and I think, then, is when Diana came into her own."

Princess Anne took part alongside her younger brothers (
Image:
BBC)

The show was hosted by Stuart Hall, Les Dawson and Su Pollard. Paul Daniels acted as the chief referee. Princess Anne's red team, raising cash for Save the Children, included Tom Jones, Cliff Richard, actress Jenny Agutter, and athlete Deborah Flintoff.

Fergie was joined by Michael Brandon, Ben Cross and Jane Seymour, while Prince Andrew's World Wildlife Team included Gary Lineker, Margot Kidder, Rhys Jones and John Travolta. The late singer Meat Loaf also took part.

Prince Edward was in charge of the yellow team, raising cash for the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme.Among the celebs on his team were John Cleese, Eddie Grant, Peter Blake and Christopher Reeve.

And while it was a disaster for the dignity of the royal family, it was at least a commercial success: 18 million people tuned in, the fourth biggest audience for 1987, while more than 400 million viewers worldwide saw it at a later date.

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