KING Charles made a surprise appearance at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford
last night.
The monarch took his place among the sold-out audience for the performance of The Tempest directed by Sir Richard Eyre and starring Sir Kenneth Branagh, who is playing Prospero for the first time in a career that has included 35 productions of Shakespeare to date.
On arrival, the King was met by the Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, Tim Cox, and representatives of Stratford as well as RSC Co-Artistic Directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey and RSC Development Director Robert Dixon, before taking his seat for the performance.
During the interval, King Charles met with members of the RSC’s in-house Costume Department; Alistair McArthur (Head of Costume), Emily Kiefer (Head Costume Cutter) and Hazel Coombs (Assistant Textile Effects Supervisor) to hear more about the specialist skills and craftsmanship involved in the creation of costumes for the stage and to view a selection of costume items from the RSC’s historic archive; one of the most significant Shakespeare and theatre collections in the world, spanning from the 1600s to the present day.
The King was also introduced to some of the RSC’s most generous philanthropic supporters – Dame Susie Sainsbury, Ms Miranda Curtis, Sir Jonathan Bate, Brian Dean, Kitty Dean, Tony Hales, Linda Hales and Juliet Grundy.
Following the the curtain call, The King went backstage to meet members of cast and creative team including Sir Richard , Sir Kenneth, Amara Okereke, Ruby Stokes, Ashley Zhangazha, Fred Woodley Evans, Paul Jesson, David Bark-Jones, Henry Pettigrew , Mark Meadows, Keir Charles, Guy Henry, Philip Childs, Darrell Brockis, Halle Brown, Amber Sylvia Edwards, Razak Osman, Stuart Edgar and Tallulah Hamilton Barr and musicians Joseph Roberts, Kadialy Kouyaté, Sidiki Dembélé and Solá Akingbolá.
While backstage, the King took the opportunity to thank the 70 plus strong team of production staff responsible for bringing The Tempest to the stage including members of Automation, Stage & Props, Running Wardrobe, Stage Management, Lighting, Sound, Video and Production Management.
There, His Majesty also met with RSC Running Wardrobe Apprentice Hassan Ahmed and Learning Participations Manager Kris Overend, alumni of the King’s Trust, to hear more about their respective routes into industry.
RSC Co-Artistic Directors, Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey said: “It was a tremendous honour to welcome His Majesty The King back to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre for this landmark production of The Tempest, which marks both Sir Kenneth Branagh’s historic return to Stratford-upon-Avon for the first time in over thirty years and Sir Richard Eyre’s debut with the company after a long and distinguished career directing for the British stage.
“Of course, none of the magic we see realised on our stages would be possible without the incredible team of 100 plus staff and freelance artists from across the company, who have collaborated to bring this epic production to the stage. Nor would this work be possible without the continued support and investment of our dedicated community of patrons, donors and supporters, every one of whom plays a unique and important role in helping to bring world-class theatre to audiences and inspire deeper understanding through the power of storytelling.
“A Shakespearean through and through, it was particularly special to hear His Majesty speak so passionately about the company’s contribution to the cultural life of the UK and to pay tribute to its ‘unsung’ heroes on and off-stage, from our specialist production and technical staff to our dedicated Box Office and Front of House teams.”
King Charles has served as the RSC’s Patron since 2024, following Queen Elizabeth II who held the patronage since the company’s creation in 1961.
He studied Shakespeare as a student at Gordonstoun, playing Macbeth there in 1965.
In April 2016, the then Prince of Wales visited Stratford to mark 400 years since Shakespeare’s death, joining renowned theatre actors on stage at Stratford to perform Hamlet as part of Shakespeare Live! , featuring performances that celebrated Shakespeare’s legacy.
