Sebastian Coe: 'People genuinely believe the Queen jumped from a helicopter at the Olympics'

Watch: James Bond collects the Queen ahead of the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony

Sebastian Coe, the former athlete who was chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, says people still think the Queen really jumped out of a helicopter during the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony.

Talking to Huw Edwards on the BBC's coverage of the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, Coe was asked about the iconic sketch that featured Daniel Craig as James Bond accompanying the monarch to the games.

The sketch ended with both seemingly leaping from a helicopter and landing in the stadium.

"There isn't a day that goes by that there isn't somebody somewhere in the world asking me about this," Coe said.

Read more: Richard E Grant pays tribute to King Charles

"A whole heap of people still believe that she actually did jump from that helicopter, genuinely."

Coe said he felt 'the globe wobbling' when Boyle pitched the audacious idea, but it was the 'great republican' director who managed to convince Her Majesty to take part in the skit.

The parachutist who doubled for the Queen was Gary Connery (no relation to Sir Sean Connery, the first movie James Bond), who wore a gown, handbag and wig to perform the stunt.

Read more: Stars who queued to see The Queen

Coe added that he first pitched the idea to the Queen's daughter Princess Anne when he ran her through the concept for the opening ceremony.

Rather than questioning the decision for the Queen to film the skit, he says the Princess Royal's only question was about what kind of helicopter they might use for the stunt.

"She knew everything about helicopters," Coe added.

"Of all the questions I thought I'd get! But that's how it started, and [The Queen] entered into the spirit of it."

"It will always be the iconic moment from the ceremony."

Speaking after the Queen's death, James Bond star Daniel Craig described filming the scene with the Queen for London 2012 as “an incredible thing”.

Reflecting on his time filming with the Queen, 54-year-old Craig told the BBC at the Toronto International Film Festival: “What an incredible thing.

“We will not see the likes of her ever again. To be alive during her reign is something else.”

He added: “(I’m) very saddened, so I suppose good luck to Charles, really.”

On an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert earlier this year, Craig revealed that the Queen had made a joke at his expense, and said she was “very funny, wants to crack a joke, and crack a joke about me”.

Craig added: “We were having our photograph taken, and she just went, ‘Oh no, he’s the one that doesn’t smile.’”

Frank Cottrell-Boyce, who co-wrote the Queen’s TV appearances with Paddington Bear and Daniel Craig, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the Queen had volunteered herself for the Bond scene.

He said: “We went to the Palace asking for permission to represent her and to know what she was wearing on the day, and it was her amazing dresser who said ‘No, no, she wants to be in it.’ She was game and she was up for that.

“In fact on the day when we were filming, she asked Danny Boyle if she could have a line because there wasn’t a line in the script, probably because when I was typing the script I didn’t quite know how you would type the character of the Queen… What would you type?”

Watch: Daniel Craig reveals the joke the Queen made at his expense