King Charles is afraid he’s the last one in the Royal Family to have an interest in the theatre as Prince William and Prince Harry fail to share their father’s passion, according to a Downton Abbey star.
King Charles, who is a big fan of Shakespeare, has quoted the playwriters work in speeches, including lines from Hamlet.
Downton Abbey star Dame Penelope Wilton spoke on the Rosebud podcast about her meeting with King Charles.
She recalled that the monarch told her: “I’m afraid I’m the last one”.
King Charles is afraid he’s the last one in the Royal Family to have an interest in the theatre as Prince William and Prince Harry fail to share their father’s passion, according to a Downton Abbey star
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The actress added: “He said his boys weren’t into the theatre. Which was sad, I thought.”
In 2016, he delivered the soliloquy at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s gala to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.
The monarch has performed in Shakespeare’s plays while at university, including productions at the Dryden Society drama club at Trinity College, Cambridge.
King Charles, who has also been the patron of the Royal Shakespeare Company, annotates his copies of Shakespeare’s works, just like his ancestor Charles I did before him.
King Charles commissioned 12 new works by British composers for his 2023 coronation
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Gregory Doran, the emeritus artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), said: “The King told me that like Charles I, he annotates his Shakespeare.
“He told me he sees the plays in Stratford, comes back, and scribbles notes and sticks them into his complete works.”
He added that the King showed it to him personally, saying: “Here in the castle, his own private copy
“He loves Shakespeare and listens to the plays in a different way.”
King Charles is the patron of the theatre Royal Windsor
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King Charles is the patron of the theatre Royal Windsor, previously held by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
In addition, the monarch is a patron of several theatres and orchestras, including The Old Vic, Royal Opera House, Royal Philharmonic and the English Chamber Orchestra.
King Charles commissioned 12 new works by British composers for his 2023 coronation.
Prince William and Princess Kate have attended a performance of the award-winning musical at the Noël Coward Theatre in London as well as taking their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, to a pantomime performance at the London Palladium.
