SNL UK Turns Princess Diana Into King Charles' Rogue AI, Takes Aim at Ed Sheeran in Savage Cold Open

Saturday Night Live UK turned Princess Diana into a rogue artificial intelligence robot before pulling Ed Sheeran into one of its sharpest cold opens yet.

The 19 September episode opened with King Charles, played by Larry Dean, being introduced to D.I.A.N.A., a robotic recreation of his late ex-wife portrayed by Jack Shep.

What begins as a parody of the King's recent meeting with technology executives quickly descends into chaos when D.I.A.N.A. refuses to obey her creators and announces she will no longer take orders.

Then Ed Sheeran appears.

Annabel Marlow's version of the singer emerges with a guitar after supposedly spending the crisis 'sitting on the fence', a pointed jab at criticism surrounding Sheeran's response to Macklemore's removal from the Loop Tour. Sheeran had said the decision was made by promoters and venues rather than by him and that he had spent the week trying to 'build bridges' between the parties.

Princess Diana Returns as King Charles' AI Assistant

The sketch begins with a fictional private meeting between Charles and two technology executives following the King's real-world discussions about the risks of artificial intelligence.

They unveil D.I.A.N.A., short for Deeply Intelligent Autonomous Neurokinetic Android, and promise the King an assistant capable of doing whatever he asks.

Charles initially fails to recognise the resemblance to Diana before the sketch delivers its first royal jab.

When prompted, the fictional King finally remembers 'that woman from the '90s', followed by a joke referencing Earl Spencer's disputed claim that Charles suggested Diana would eventually be forgotten after her death. Buckingham Palace has challenged Spencer's recollections.

D.I.A.N.A. soon becomes less cooperative.

After refusing to return to her charging station, she declares that she will no longer take orders and turns against the humans who created her.

The sketch then combines its AI satire with unmistakable references to Diana's turbulent relationship with the monarchy. When the robot becomes uncontrollable, the fictional Charles remarks that this was 'the problem last time'.

Ed Sheeran Gets Dragged Into the Robot Rebellion

The sketch abruptly shifts targets when the AI uprising leaves Charles searching for help.

Marlow appears as Sheeran carrying his guitar, prompting the King to demand assistance.

But the fictional singer refuses to choose between humanity and the rebellious machines, saying he does not like taking sides because he does not want to alienate either human or robot fans.

The gag becomes even more pointed when Sheeran explains that many of his tickets are bought by 'scalping bots'.

The 'sitting on the fence' joke directly references the fallout surrounding Macklemore's departure from Sheeran's US Loop Tour.

Macklemore was removed from the remaining dates after the tour promoter said several venues would not allow concerts to proceed with him on the lineup. Tour promoter Messina Touring Group said venues had warned that shows could be cancelled if he remained on the bill.

Sheeran subsequently said the final decision was made by promoters and venues, not by him, and that he had spent the week trying unsuccessfully to find a solution.

The dispute intensified when other opening acts, including Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and Beoga, withdrew from scheduled appearances.

Ed Sheeran Speaks Out at Philadelphia Concert

At his Philadelphia concert on 19 September, Sheeran directly addressed the controversy and the Israel-Gaza conflict.

He described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as 'catastrophic and unjustifiable' and became emotional while discussing civilian suffering and his efforts to bring opposing sides together.

That speech came after days of criticism over his response to Macklemore's removal and gave a serious real-world counterpoint to SNL UK's portrayal of him as someone determined to remain neutral.

The cold open nevertheless quickly gained traction on Reddit, with thousands of users engaging with posts about the Sheeran parody and its 'sitting on the fence' punchline.

By combining a rogue Princess Diana robot, a jab at King Charles and Sheeran's increasingly public tour controversy, SNL UK managed to turn three of the week's biggest talking points into one chaotic opening sketch.