King Charles attended the Royal Film Performance of Gladiator II last night, celebrating his 76th birthday a night early. Several celebrities appeared on the red carpet, including Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal, among others.
However, the evening’s main topic was not the film itself, but rather an awkward interaction between the King and actor Denzel Washington.
A fan who was present at the event took to X to elaborate on the exchange: “Fun fact: Denzel was told to go inside because the King was here, but he told security: ‘I make my own rules’ and continued to talk to us.”
The post, of course, went viral, and people all over the internet laughed at it. That night, Washington and the whole cast of Gladiator II finally met King Charles.
The actor is said to have told the King, “I did not know if I was supposed to grab your hand or not.”
The actor’s response, “You have been in so many movies, it is great,” shows that King Charles likes him.
People talked about what they thought about the Hollywood vs. Royalty moment.
Someone said, “Denzel should be King; he is the real one!”
Someone else wrote, “That is so Denzel! No matter what, he always stays true to himself.”
A third person said, “Americans are not ruled by a monarch.”
