London 2012: On Her Majesty's Service sets the bar high for Skyfall's Bond girls

There has been Honor Blackman, there has been Ursula Andress, there has been Halle Berry. But Danny Boyle laid down quite a challenge to incoming 007 director Sam Mendes by revealing Elizabeth II as the latest lucky lady to take a spin in James Bond's chopper. The Queen dispatched a performance in keeping with the spy series: moody, almost pouting, with surprising action panache and an showstopping outfit that combined glamour and femininity (pink satin, and plenty of it). Plot-wise, On Her Majesty's Service wasn't one of Bond's most thrilling missions, mostly involving sitting in a cab and greeting a pensioner, but the slower pace seemed to sit well with its star, for Daniel Craig appeared much more chipper that in his previous outings. Other highlights of the short film that played during the opening ceremony included happy taxi drivers and copious slo-mo footage of corgis.