BOND fever gripped a North Yorkshire school when it was visited by a royal VIP.

The Bond in question was not James, but the BBC’s former Royal Correspondent, Jennie Bond, who took to the stage at Queen Ethelburga’s College, near York, to officially open its theatre.

Ms Bond, who reported on the Royal Family for 14 years, addressed an assembled audience of pupils and staff and delivered a speech recounting her time in broadcasting.

Since leaving the BBC she said she had enjoyed trying lots of different broadcasting projects.

She said: “I loved going on I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here in 2004, because it was such fun.

“I knew when they buried me in a coffin and warned me something was going to come in that it was probably going to be nasty but when 40 or so rats started crawling over me it took a lot of courage to stay in there with them.”

Ms Bond got to see the school’s new King’s Theatre, which boasts a 330-seat auditorium, sound and lighting booth and backstage dressing rooms and set storage area.

Ms Bond and the rest of the audience were treated to a performance from the school production of Annie, which will be performed at Queen Ethelburga’s in December.