When Audrey Hepburn Became “The Duke of Buckingham” — The Hilarious Story Behind Peter O’Toole’s Odd Nickname

Audrey Hepburn and Peter O’Toole may have seemed like an unlikely pair—she, the picture of quiet elegance and privacy; he, a legendary hellraiser with a penchant for late nights and strong drink—but when the two starred together in the 1966 caper How to Steal a Million, they forged a friendship built on razor-sharp wit and shared laughter.

Director William Wyler, who had helped launch Hepburn’s career with Roman Holiday, recognized their chemistry immediately and wisely let it flourish. The result was a film that, while perhaps light on airtight plotting, overflowed with charm—much of it owed to Hepburn and O’Toole’s playful rapport both on and off camera.

The Unlikely Nickname

It was during filming that O’Toole began calling Hepburn something entirely unexpected: “The Duke of Buckingham.” Hepburn adored the nickname, though she admitted she never fully understood its meaning. “My friend! He was very dear and very funny,” she later recalled. “I don’t know why, but he used to call me the Duke of Buckingham.”

On the surface, the moniker might seem a nod to her refined accent and aristocratic grace. Hepburn did, after all, have distant ties to Dutch nobility—her great-grandfather was a count, her grandfather a baron—and her upbringing across Belgium, the Netherlands, and England had left her with a polished, cosmopolitan lilt. But the truth, as O’Toole would reveal years later, was far more mischievous.

The 19th-Century Anecdote That Inspired It

The nickname traced back to a notorious 19th-century theater story. Actor Edmund Kean, playing Richard III, was on stage after a long afternoon of drinking. The audience began heckling him for his inebriated state, to which he quipped, “If you think I am drunk, wait till you see the Duke of Buckingham.” His fellow actor—indeed playing the Duke—was so intoxicated he had collapsed on all fours in the wings.

For O’Toole, the connection to Hepburn came after one particularly frigid day on set. During a scene requiring her to get into a car and drive away, Hepburn was shivering so badly she had turned pale. O’Toole, ever the gentleman in his own unconventional way, offered her what he considered the best remedy: a shot of brandy.

The Day Hepburn “Went All Duke of Buckingham”

The effect was immediate. “She went all roses and cream, bounced out of the caravan, [and] radiated towards the motor car,” O’Toole remembered. Hopping behind the wheel, she drove off—accidentally taking the lighting equipment with her. It was, in his eyes, a scene worthy of Kean’s legendary “Duke of Buckingham” moment: unexpected, hilarious, and fueled by just the right amount of spirits.

A Friendship Immortalized in Laughter

The nickname stuck, a private joke that encapsulated their easy camaraderie. It was emblematic of the way Hepburn and O’Toole approached their work together—lighthearted, warm, and unafraid to break into laughter, even if it delayed filming.

While How to Steal a Million remains a charming artifact of 1960s cinema, the real treasure is the story behind that peculiar nickname—a reminder that even icons like Hepburn could, every so often, have a “Duke of Buckingham” moment.