Kate, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William lookalikes take to Edinburgh Festival

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Lookalikes take to Edinburgh Festival for opera La Trashiata
Alison Jackson returns with her latest satire on celebrity
'William' and 'Kate' share a bath while 'Harry' cavorts with a stripper

By Chris Hastings For The Mail On Sunday

Published: 16:08 EST, 16 August 2014 | Updated: 07:07 EST, 17 August 2014

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It's a jaw-dropping glimpse inside Kensington Palace as Prince William and Kate serenade each other in the bath. Meanwhile Prince Harry grapples with a stripper. But you can relax, the Royal Family’s dignity is intact – these are lookalikes starring in a new musical send-up by arch satirist Alison Jackson.

While the ‘Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’ warble, Pippa Middleton is portrayed as a knicker-flashing maneater and Charles Saatchi and Nigella Lawson remember their restaurant row.

La Trashiata rewrites arias from famous operas and was created by the Bafta-winning photographer Miss Jackson, who famously punctures the celebrity soap bubble with sensational, posed images.

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The Duke and Duchess’s doubles perform a version of Papageno’s duet from Mozart’s The Magic Flute while photographer Alison Jackson said: ‘I set it in the bath for added intimacy’

Photographer Alison Jackson directs and photographs some of her famous lookalikes for Hibrow Hour

The Mail on Sunday had exclusive access to rehearsals for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival production, which promises not to pull any punches with its exploration of the sex, drugs and rock’n’roll excesses of the rich and famous.

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Miss Jackson said: ‘Celebrity culture is a soap opera. It is theatre. The stories we are telling lend themselves to the over-the-top world of opera. I have no qualms about including the Royal Family because they are the biggest celebrities in the world. Let’s face it, William and Kate beat Brad and Angelina hands down.’

The Duke and Duchess’s doubles perform a version of Papageno’s duet from Mozart’s The Magic Flute while sharing their delight at the birth of Prince George. 'William' sings: ‘Just think our little boy will be king.’ 'Kate' trills: ‘My life’s work to spawn a king.’

Miss Jackson said: ‘I set it in the bath for added intimacy.’

In another scene, 'Kate' wonders what it will be like to be Queen and dresses up in her husband’s cap and robes.

Uncanny - Alison Jackson presents La Trashiata

In another scene, 'Kate' wonders what it will be like to be queen and dresses in her husband’s cap and robes

The sight of ‘Prince Harry’ cavorting with a stripper echoes the time he was snapped naked in a Las Vegas hotel room. He and his companion are joined by a ‘chorus of Old Etonians’ for a unique take on Libiamo from Verdi’s La Traviata. ‘Let’s drink! Let’s drink so I can forget. About Chelsy, Cressida, and the other one,’ he sings. Miss Jackson said she hoped the prince would appreciate the joke: ‘We all know Prince Harry likes to have fun and I am sure he has done far worse than in the photos.’

The sight of ‘Harry’ cavorting with a stripper echoes the time he was snapped in a Las Vegas hotel room

'Pippa' has been cast as Carmen. In a saucy version of Habanera by Bizet, she sings: ‘My big sister will be queen, but I have assets like you’ve never seen’

'Pippa' has been cast as Carmen. In a saucy version of Habanera by Bizet, she sings: ‘My big sister will be queen, but I have assets like you’ve never seen.’

Miss Jackson said: ‘Pippa is seducing everyone with her bottom. She is tempting all of her suitors and, I hope, the audience as well.’

'Lawson' and 'Saatchi' perform O Sole Mio. They pass each other on gondolas in Venice and she thrusts an ice cream into his face.

Charles Saachi aboard a makeshift gondola laments his woes over a paparazzi photo

'Lawson' and 'Saatchi' perform O Sole Mio. They pass each other on gondolas in Venice and she thrusts an ice cream into his face

Nigella Lawson and Charles Saatchi look-a-likes taking part in rehearsals for Hibrow Hour an opera by Alison Jackson which will be performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fring