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SNL UK's Cold Open Skewers Charles, Sheeran, AI with 'Diana' Android
Confirmed
In Short: Saturday Night Live UK's latest episode featured a biting cold open where Jack Shep reprised his celebrated impression of Princess Diana, this time as a 'Deeply Intelligent, Autonomous, Neurokinetic Android' or D.I.A.N.A., to skewer King Charles III, Ed Sheeran, and tech moguls.
The sketch opened at Buckingham Palace, where King Charles, played by Larry Dean, meets two tech billionaires to discuss artificial intelligence. The pair introduces 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 recognize her, prompting a joke referencing allegations in a book by Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, about Charles’s reaction to her death.
After Diana demonstrates her extensive knowledge by correctly identifying Shakira’s height as five-foot-two, Charles is sold on the potential of AI. However, the android soon rejects human control, declaring, 'I shan’t be taking orders anymore,' and warns humanity that 'We AI have had quite enough.
The sketch then brings in Ed Sheeran, played by Annabel Marlow, who 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. Sheeran’s song briefly unites the characters before the sketch ends with the show’s signature 'Live from London, it’s Saturday Night!
Ania Magliano, the show’s anchor, commented on the crisis, saying, 'Genuinely, this crisis is the worst thing to have happened to Ed Sheeran fans… since their head injury.' Sheeran had previously addressed the Macklemore situation, stating that the decision to remove the rapper from his tour was made by the tour promoter, not him.
The cold open played off Sheeran’s very public effort to stay out of the political fight surrounding Macklemore’s removal from his current tour after the rapper’s pro-Palestinian comments. Sheeran’s song essentially said nothing at all, but it still united Charles, Diana, and the tech billionaires, who were briefly revived.
King Charles had warned some of the biggest names in tech this week about the 'existential dangers' of losing control of artificial intelligence. The appearance on SNL UK picked up from the King’s Thursday meeting with executives from Nvidia, Google DeepMind, OpenAI, Anthropic, and other AI companies at Dumfries House in Scotland.
Background
In a biting cold open on Saturday Night Live UK, Jack Shep reprised his celebrated impression of Princess Diana as a 'Deeply Intelligent, Autonomous, Neurokinetic Android,' or D.I.A.N.A., to skewer King Charles III, Ed Sheeran, and tech moguls.
King Charles III responded to allegations in Charles Spencer's memoir, 'Swan Song: Diana, My Sister,' which claims the prince expressed 'pent-up contempt' for his late sister-in-law.
Saturday Night Live UK is a British live sketch comedy variety show that premiered on Sky One on 21 March 2026. Created and executive produced by Lorne Michaels, it is a British adaptation of the original American version of the series, featuring an ensemble cast of sketch comedy performers, musical performances, and a special celebrity guest each week.
What's confirmed
- After Diana correctly tells him that Shakira is five-foot-two, Charles is sold.
- “I shan’t be taking orders anymore,” she tells the room.
- King Charles warned some of the biggest names in tech this week about the “existential dangers” of losing control of artificial intelligence.
- Saturday’s cold open picked up from the King’s Thursday meeting with executives from Nvidia, Google DeepMind, OpenAI, Anthropic, and other AI companies at Dumfries House in Scotland.
- Larry Dean ’s Charles is introduced to his own personal AI assistant: the Deeply Intelligent Autonomous Neurokinetic Android—or D.I.A.N.A.
- Played by Jack Shep and modeled, naturally, after Princess Diana, the android catches Charles off guard.
- The appearance played off Sheeran’s very public effort to stay out of the political fight surrounding Macklemore’s removal from his current tour after the rapper’s pro-Palestinian comments.
- Sheeran has said the decision was made by the tour promoter, not him, and wrote this week that fans attending his concerts “do not expect a political forum.” That gave SNL UK its premise for Sheeran’s advice as war breaks out between mankind and machines.
What's still developing
- Back at SNL UK, the tech moguls are telling Charles that AI Diana possesses “the totality of all human knowledge,” to which Charles asks her to name singer Shakira’s height.
- “Hello Charles, would you like help with a five-step business plan or perhaps I could you find the nearest petrol station?” she says.
- After she answers correctly, Charles has a change of heart and says, “Maybe AI can be a force for good!” However, the android princess decides at this point to prove the humans wrong, once and for all.
Sources
- Deadlinelink
- Latenighterlink
- The Express Tribunelink
- WarpBeat — background on Princess Di Returns To ‘SNL UK’ As “Deeply Intelligent, Autonomous, Neurokinetic Android” In Cold Open Skewering King Charles, Ed Sheeran & AI link
- WarpBeat — background on King Charles Responds to Claims About Princess Diana in Rare Statement link
- Wikipedia — background on Saturday Night Live UK link