Denzel Washington and King Charles Had a Handshake Snafu

On Wednesday, King Charles III spent the night before his 76th birthday on a solo outing at the premiere of Gladiator II after Queen Camilla declined to attend following her recovery from a chest infection. During his time on the red carpet at Leicester Square Odeon, the king did get a speak to director Ridley Scott and cast members Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Paul Mescal, and Denzel Washington.

Washington referenced a bit of confusion with protocol when he greeted the king. “I didn’t know if I was supposed to grab you or not,” the actor said. “But it’s my pleasure.”

While speaking to the king, 25-year-old actor Fred Hechinger said that he has in fact seen the first Gladiator film, which was released in 2000. “When I was quite young, I watched it!” Hechinger said.

Gladiator II’s premiere was this year’s Royal Film Performance, an annual fundraiser for the Film and TV Charity where the royals join with Britain’s film industry luminaries. The king appeared as a part of his duties as the patron of the charity, which offers support to behind-the-scenes workers in the entertainment industry.

Earlier in the day, Camilla did join her husband for another event supporting the Film and TV Charity. The king and queen hosted a Buckingham Palace reception celebrating the charity’s centennial, which featured a display of costumes from iconic British films. They were joined by Prince Edward and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and actors including Damian Lewis, Emily Mortimer, Joseph Fiennes, and India Amarteifio.

Speaking to Wolf Hall producers Kerene Barefield and Naveed Chowdhary-Flatt, the king mentioned that he has seen the queen’s recent documentary about domestic violence awareness, Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors. “I am very proud of it.” he said, according to Tatler. “It reduced me to tears.”