Kylie appears by royal command

The producers of The Play What I Wrote asked Prince Charles to come up with stars he would like to see in their play - and Minogue was top of the royal wish list.

In the play, which is a Morecambe and Wise tribute, a surprise guest celebrity appears each night.

As he chatted backstage to the singer, the prince told her: "I'm so glad you were in it tonight - you were fantastic."

And he told the play's main stars Sean Foley, Hamish McColl and Toby Jones: "She really was good."

Other names on the list were Hollywood actresses Halle Berry and Nicole Kidman, singer Shirley Bassey and former newsreader Angela Rippon.

Both Bassey and Rippon were once genuine guests on the classic comedy variety show Morecambe and Wise.

Spoof

In The Play What I Wrote, mystery guests have to take part in a spoof play-within-a-play called A Tight Squeeze For The Scarlet Pimple.

Minogue appeared dressed as a portly monk and performed a song and dance number in a special performance in aid of the Prince's Trust charity.

She told Charles: "I only had three hours rehearsal with these guys, something like that."

The impressed royal said: "You were a good sport."

Charles is a staunch fan of Morecambe and Wise and first saw the play - directed by Kenneth Branagh - earlier this year.

It has also been suggested that the prince himself will perform a cameo, but the show's producers stayed tight-lipped.

Stars who have already appeared in the play include Jerry Hall, Ewan McGregor, Roger Moore and Cilla Black.