Denzel Washington's brutal five-word snub to meeting King Charles at Gladiators 2 premiere

King Charles at the Gladiator II premiere (Image: Getty)

Denzel Washington was among the cast members at the glitzy London premiere of the Gladiator II movie this week - and a cheeky comment left fans open-mouthed.

The American actor was introduced to King Charles III, who chose to spend the day of his 76th birthday at the Royal Film Performance of the gripping action movie.

According to reports, the security team urged the Gladiators star to go inside because the king had arrived.

A fan shared on X: "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." (sic)

He'd been interacting with fans who'd gathered for the red carpet event - and they haven't stopped joking about the moment since. One quipped: "I just assumed Denzel was the King in question!"

Denzel Washington meeting King Charles at Gladiator II's premiere (Image: GETTY)

Another brutally exclaimed: "Telling an American to go inside because the 'King is here' is hilarious."

A third tweeted: "I feel like every Denzel tweet I see he continually gets 80% better."

Meanwhile, other fans defended the actor's decision, with one writing: "Rightfully so bro, it’s their movie not the King’s!"

Someone else chimed in: "Denzel stood his ground, choosing fans over protocol. That's the kind of star power I admire."

Then another fan argued: "I guess they didn't get the memo, Denzel Washington is royalty too and will see the King when he's ready."

Others insisted: "Denzel Washington doesn’t need a royal invitation to do his own thing - King Charles might rule the UK, but Denzel rules the red carpet. Love seeing him keep it real with the fans!"

Denzel Washington appears in the new Gladiator II film (Image: YOUTUBE)

Some were curious to know if he eventually did go outside to meet with the King - and the answer was a resounding yes.

At the event, he quipped: "I didn’t know if I was supposed to grab your hand or not!" as the monarch looked on.

King Charles then praised: "You’ve been in so many films, it’s fantastic", and the actor replied: "Thank you, thank you."

Gladiator II, which has received a whirlwind of mixed reviews already, is officially released in the UK this Friday November 15.