'SNL UK' brings back Princess Diana AI in cold open targeting King Charles and Ed Sheeran

Saturday Night Live UK brought back Jack Shep’s Princess Diana impression in its latest episode, presenting the late royal as an artificial intelligence android in a cold open targeting King Charles III, Ed Sheeran and the technology industry.

The sketch opens at Buckingham Palace, where King Charles, played by Larry Dean, meets two tech billionaires to discuss artificial intelligence.

The pair introduce him to DIANA, short for “Deeply Intelligent, Autonomous, Neurokinetic Android”.

Shep’s Diana enters to cheers from the audience, greeting Charles and offering assistance.

The king initially fails to recognise her, prompting a joke referencing allegations in a book by Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, about Charles’s reaction to her death.

Buckingham Palace previously responded to the claims, saying grief can affect memory and judgement.

After Diana demonstrates her extensive knowledge, Charles embraces AI as a potential force for good. However, the android soon rejects human control, declaring, “I shan’t be taking orders any more.”

She then warns humanity that “We AI have had quite enough” and attacks the billionaires, prompting Charles to declare that war has begun.

Annabel Marlow’s Ed Sheeran arrives with a guitar and a message of neutrality, singing a song that mocks his silence over the controversy involving Macklemore and pro-Palestinian remarks.

The performance briefly unites the characters before the sketch ends with the show’s signature “Live from London, it’s Saturday Night!”

Sheeran also featured in SNL UK’s Weekend Update, where Ania Magliano and Paddy Young joked about his response to the controversy.