Lord Sebastian Coe has revealed that he was worried about the reaction from the Royal Family after watching the Queen's segment in the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The ceremony, directed by filmmaker Danny Boyle, included a video of the Queen being greeted by James Bond actor Daniel Craig and then getting into a helicopter.
In real time a helicopter began circling over the Olympic Stadium and two stuntmen, one dressed as Bond and the other in a dress matching the Queen's, parachuted out of the helicopter.
"When we saw those shoes and peach coloured dress disappearing into the night sky under a billowing parachute, [Paul Deighton and I] looked at each other, both thinking 'Oh my God! What have we sanctioned here!'" Coe wrote in his autobiography Running My Life, which has been serialised in The Times.
"Prince Charles looked at me and began laughing rather nervously, wondering where on earth this was going. At the moment she turned around and everyone realised 'My God! It really is the Queen!' he began roaring with laughter.
"As for his sons, they were beside themselves. As she started her descent, two voices behind me (William and Harry) shouted in unison 'Go Granny!'".
The opening ceremony made the top 10 list of most-watched television events in the last 30 years.
