King Charles made a surprise appearance at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, to watch the production of Shakespeare's The Tempest on May 22
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"I was just astonished at his knowledge of actors. You get the impression he's a true enthusiast of the theater,” said Tamara Harvey, the theater’s co-artistic director
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In addition to taking a tour of the theater's in-house costume department during intermission, the King went backstage to congratulate the cast and crew after the show
King Charlesis immersing himself in the world of classic theater.
During a recent visit to Stratford-upon-Avon, England, on Friday, May 22, the King, 77, paid a surprise visit to theRoyal Shakespeare Theatreto watch their production of Shakespeare'sThe Tempest.
While he arrived at the theater and took his seat in the sold-out audience just moments before the curtain went up, the monarch was handed a drink during the intermission and was brought backstage for a tour of the theater's in-house costume department.
In addition to describing the pieces as “brilliant” during his tour, according to theBBCandITV News, King Charles admired a replica crown backstage, touched the fabric of a dress worn by Dame Judi Dench in a 2003 production ofAll's Well That Ends Welland stopped to appreciate another costume worn by Sir Antony Sher in a 1984 production ofRichard III.
The theater's co-artistic directors, Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey, deemed the surprise visit nothing less than a “tremendous honor,” according to the outlets.
“I think he genuinely enjoyed it,” Harvey said, noting that King Charles was “laughing away” during the performance.
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“When Guy Henry came on, who plays Stephano, he reached over to me and said ‘Is that Guy Henry?' " she continued. "I was just astonished at his knowledge of actors. You get the impression he's a true enthusiast of the theater.”
At the end of the play, King Charles gave the performers a standing ovation before going backstage to congratulate members of the cast and crew.
“It was a tremendous honour to welcome His Majesty the King back to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre for this landmark production ofThe Tempest,” Evans and Harvey said in a statement, going on to note that the occasion 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.”
The King's night at the theater came just one day after he was spottedpicking up a ukulele and beginning to playalongside the Loughries Men's Shed during a May 21 visit to Ards Allotments in County Down, Northern Ireland.
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“Growing friendship and connection,” the official Royal Family account wrote alongside aclipof the musical collaboration on X. "Thank you to Loughries Men's Shed for the wonderful ukulele music!"
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