New James Bond story will focus on London and King Charles’ Coronation
Ian Fleming productions has announced a new James Bond story will be released to coincide with King Charles’ Coronation in May.
The story will be called On His Majesty’s Secret Service, following on from the original Ian Fleming novel, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
The new story will be written by Charlie Higson, who has written the 9 ‘Young Bond’ books, but will now try his hand at writing adult Bond, bringing the spy into the present day. The secret agent will attempt to thwart a plot to overthrow King Charles’ Coronation in London, it has been reported.
An announcement on the Ian Fleming website reads: “It is the 4th of May, two days before the coronation of King Charles III and the world’s favourite spy has his work cut out for him. Bond is sent at the last minute to thwart an attempt to disrupt the Coronation by the wealthy, eccentric and self-styled Athelstan of Wessex, who is on a deadly mission of his own to teach the United Kingdom a lesson. Can Bond dismantle his shady plans and defeat his privately hired team of mercenaries?”
The book will be released digitally and physically on 4 May, two days ahead of King Charles’ Coronation on 6 May and 60 years on from the publication of the novel On Her Majesty’s Secret Secret Service in 1963.
George Lazenby played Bond just one time in the film adaptation of the book, which sees Bond marry Teresa “Tracy” Di Vicenzo, the only woman to marry Bond across the franchise.
It comes as the world waits in anticipation for the news of the next actor to play the role. Aaron Taylor Johnson and Rege Jean Page have been heavily rumoured, and all producer Barbara Broccoli has confirmed is that the role will be played by a millennial man in their thirties.
On His Majesty’s Secret Service isn’t the only new Bond book to come out. Kim Sherwood is writing a new trilogy of Bond novels, the second of which, Double or Nothing, was released in September 2022.
Since Fleming’s death in 1964, six authors have officially penned new Bond novels.
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