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LONDON (AP) — Move over Helen Mirren, there's a new queen in town — Elizabeth Hurley.
The English actress is on the British throne for new E! drama series "The Royals," playing the fictional Queen Helena, a sharply dressed mother of three grooming her son to be king and dealing with public opinion.
It's the E! Channel's first foray out of reality TV into scripted drama. Hurley reckons that fans of "Gossip Girl and "Dynasty" will enjoy the decadent lifestyles of these tabloid-friendly royals.
Talking recently with The Associated Press on the set in east London, Hurley was in glittering jewels and a cream ball gown on the royal private jet — a hint of how the show will focus on lavish parties, international summits and secret romances.
"There's no correlation at all between Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and my Queen Helena," Hurley explained. "If Princess Diana, for example, had become queen of England, that would be a more similar age group."
Hurley, in fact, claimed that real royalty have it easier than celebrities.
"The royal family have a lot more privacy behind their closed doors than other actors or politicians have because we don't have the resources that they have to keep us private," she noted.
William Moseley, best known for playing Peter in "The Chronicles of Narnia" films, takes on the role of Prince Liam — the second son thrown into the spotlight after the death of his brother. Australian actress Alexandra Park stars as the wild Princess Eleanor and Merritt Patterson as Liam's American love interest.
"It's like (if) Prince Harry was thrown into being the next King of England," Mosley explained.
Moseley has met the queen and her husband Prince Philip at galas for the "Narnia" films and he's not too worried about them disliking the show.
"If they tune in and they want to watch it and they like it, good for them. If they never want to speak to any of us ever again, well, that's that. So, who cares?" he said.
The show is still filming and is set to be broadcast in early 2015.
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