Call the Midwife’s Laura Main is set to join Jane Asher in the new UK tour of Daisy Goodwin’s debut play By Royal Appointment, stepping into the role of The Dresser following Samantha Womack’s withdrawal from the production.
The late Queen Elizabeth II was famous for her discretion, but her wardrobe was another story. Daisy Goodwin, creator of the hit ITV historical drama Victoria, steps into the world of Britain’s most popular monarch with her new play By Royal Appointment, which embarks on a tour across the UK this autumn.
It has been announced that Laura Main (Call the Midwife) will join the cast as The Dresser, following Samantha Womack’s withdrawal from the production for personal reasons. Main joins Jane Asher as The Queen, David Robb as The Designer, Matthew Cottle as The Milliner and Laura Matthews as The Curator.
The full cast
The cast of the production includes:
- Jane Asher as The Queen
- Laura Main as The Dresser
- David Robb as The Designer
- Matthew Cottle as The Milliner
- Laura Matthews as The Curator
The company is completed by Jeremy Drakes as Footman and understudy for The Designer and The Milliner, and Fiona Tong as Footman and understudy for The Queen, her Dresser and The Curator.
By Royal Appointment is written by Daisy Goodwin and directed by Anthony Banks, with design by Jonathan Fensom, lighting design by Richard Howell, sound design by Sarah Weltman and composition by Ben Ringham. The production is a co-production with The Arts Theatre Cambridge.
By Royal Appointment on Tour
The new play by Daisy Goodwin is a funny, poignant and celebratory new play about the kind of power only a Queen can wield, charming the world through coats and admonishing her family through a carefully chosen hat. Though uninterested in fashion herself, the Queen’s look is managed by her Designer, her Milliner and, most powerfully, her Dresser, a working-class girl who rises from advising the Queen on lipstick shades to becoming the real power behind the throne. But like all royal favourites, The Dresser is living on borrowed time. The play offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of Britain’s most popular monarch and the image she presented to the world, exploring The Queen and her Dresser’s relationship and how the pair created the public image of the world’s longest-reigning monarch.
The UK tour will include several cities across the UK from October 2026 until January 2027. Confirmed dates so far include:
- Arts Theatre Cambridge, from 24 September – 3 October 2026
- Nottingham Theatre Royal, from 5–10 October 2026
- Chelmsford Theatre, from 19–24 October 2026
- York Theatre Royal, from 10–14 November 2026
- His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, from 12–16 January 2027
- Chichester Festival Theatre, from 18–23 January 2027
- Edinburgh Kings Theatre, from 25–30 January 2027
- Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury, from 2–6 February 2027
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