Mect an evening at the theater, especially when no one, not even the cast of actors, expects it. King Charles likes to surprise and the last one he did by appearing, without an official announcement, in the picturesque town of Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare, located in the central county of Warwickshire. The ruler arrived with a few bodyguards, mingling with the audience, and sat down in a normal seat to watch a performance of The Stormthe five-act drama by the famous English playwright.
King Charles and the improvised evening at the English Shakespearean theatre
Greeted by thunderous applause from the crowd upon his arrival at Royal Shakespeare Theatre of Stratford-upon-Avon, King Charles was received by the Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, Tim Cox, and by Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey, the co-artistic directors of Royal Shakespeare Companythe largest theater company dedicated to the playwright. While the sovereign calmly took his place towards the back of the audience, next to the dignitaries, the spectators could not resist. Everyone looked out from the gallery to try to spot him in the audience, and many took photos.
King Charles does not forget the names of the actors in the company
During the performance Carlo laughed heartily and demonstrated that he knew not only the lines of the play by heart but also the names of all the actors. “But is that Guy Henry?” he asked his neighbor when the actor in question entered the scene. “I was simply amazed at his knowledge,” admitted Daniel Evans. «It really is a great theater enthusiast».
King Charles with Sir Kenneth Branagh, Stratford-upon-Avon, 22 May 2026 (Getty Images)
When Carlo played at being an actor himself
During the interval Carlo made a quick visit to the costume department of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. «Brilliant!» was the sovereign’s comment while admiring a crown used in a production last year. And he couldn’t help but touch the fabric of the dress worn in All’s well that ends well from Judi Dench, actress who in 2016 shared the Shakespearean stage with Carlo. A fun occasion, which also included other actors such as Benedict Cumberbatch, David Tennant and Ian McKellen, and which saw Carlo try his hand at the famous Hamlet verse “To be or not to be, that is the question” with a certain skill.
King Charles’ greeting to his friend Sir Kenneth Branagh
The cast, led by Sir Kenneth Branagh – one of the greatest Shakespearean interpreters in the history of English theater and cinema – had remained unaware of the visit. The sovereign also joined in the long run standing ovation who said goodbye to the performance’s finale and then ran backstage, where he spoke with each actor, including Branagh himself, and with director Richard Eyre.
King Charles’s long association with Shakespeare’s theatre
Carlo is president of Royal Shakespeare Theatre and his theater company since 1991when he was still Prince of Wales. In 2024 he also became its patron, following in the footsteps of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who had supported the institution since the creation of the company in 1961. And he could not have missed this particular production: on stage until June 20th, The Storm – one of the last works written by Shakespeare – marks the return of his friend Sir Kenneth Branagh to the Stratford-upon-Avon company, after an absence of over thirty years.