King Charles delighted theatregoers with a surprise appearance at a sold-out performance of Shakespeare’s The Tempest at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire.
The monarch took his seat among members of the public to watch the production, which stars Sir Kenneth Branagh.
Upon his arrival, crowds greeted the King with cheers.
He was welcomed by the Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, Tim Cox, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company’s (RSC) co-artistic directors, Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey.
Inside the auditorium, audience members in the dress circle peered down, while those in the stalls captured the moment on their phones as Charles settled into a seat near the back.
He was positioned between Mr Evans and Ms Harvey, and also sat close to Sir Richard Eyre, who directed the RSC performance.
During the interval, the King was offered a drink before meeting the RSC’s in-house costume department, where he admired a crown previously used in the company’s Edward II production last year.
He also touched the fabric of a dress worn by Dame Judi Dench in All’s Well That Ends Well in 2003, while he marvelled at David Tennant’s robe and gown from his role in Richard II in 2013 and a costume worn by Sir Antony Sher in a 1984 production of Richard III.
The King described the costumes as “brilliant”.
Charles has been the patron of the RSC since 2024, following in the footsteps of the late Queen Elizabeth II – who held the patronage since the company’s creation in 1961.
Sir Kenneth is playing the role of the exiled Duke of Milan, Prospero, for the first time in his career, which has included 35 Shakespeare productions.
The Tempest, which was one of the last plays written by Shakespeare, is running at the theatre until June 20.
Co-artistic directors of the RSC, Mr Evans and Ms Harvey said: “It was a tremendous honour to welcome His Majesty the King back to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre for this landmark production of The Tempest, which marks both Sir Kenneth Branagh’s historic return to Stratford-upon-Avon for the first time in over 30 years and Sir Richard Eyre’s debut with the company after a long and distinguished career directing for the British stage.”
