Trivia

One trailer for this movie consisted entirely of bloopers.

Lesley-Anne Down was cast as Olga by mistake. Writer, producer, and director Blake Edwards meant to audition Nicola Pagett, who played Elizabeth Bellamy on Upstairs, Downstairs (1971), but auditioned Down, who played Georgia Worsley on later episodes of that same series. Dame Julie Andrews commented that she didn't look like the actress in the series, but Edwards blamed the lighting and make-up.

Omar Sharif, who had just worked with writer, producer, and director Blake Edwards on The Tamarind Seed (1974), has a brief cameo as the Egyptian Assassin.

Peter Sellers refused to attend the London Royal Premiere because his then-girlfriend Lynne Frederick hadn't been invited. King Charles III was annoyed at Sellers' non-appearance, but admitted that he really enjoyed this movie.

Writer, producer, and director Blake Edwards' original cut ran two hours and four minutes, and was submitted to the British Board of Film Censors in 1976. Afterward, this movie was cut to one hour and forty-three minutes. That version was shown in cinemas, on VHS, and on DVD. Most of the cut scenes involved Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau's (Peter Sellers') journey to, and arrival in, England. The two hour and four minute original cut has never surfaced, but a large chunk of the deleted footage was used in Trail of the Pink Panther (1982). The scenes include Clouseau in the car on the way to the airport, Clouseau on a plane to England (excerpts are in the trailer), Clouseau meeting the English police at the airport, and an extended version of Clouseau going into his apartment near the beginning of this movie, with rice flying everywhere. Deleted scenes involving Dr. Auguste Balls (Harvey Korman) also ended up in Trail of the Pink Panther (1982).