King Charles has revealed how he was “moved to tears” by Queen Camilla’s documentary on domestic abuse before he later attended the Gladiator sequel premiere.
The 90-minute documentary, Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors, aired this week and follows The Queen over the course of a year as she attends never-before-seen private meetings with domestic abuse survivors.
The Queen has been working to raise awareness of domestic violence against women since 2010 and became patron of the domestic abuse charity SafeLives in 2020.
At a reception to celebrate the centenary of the Film and TV Charity at Buckingham Palace, actor Damian Lewis told the King he had watched the documentary.
“It’s very moving, isn’t it?” His Majesty said. “I think BAFTA are interested in it.”
Charles also spoke to two of the makers of the documentary, Naveed Chowdhary-Flatt and Kerene Barefield, and told them he had been “moved to tears” when he watched a preview of it in Scotland.
He added: “I really am very proud.”
The King later made a solo appearance at the world premiere of Gladiator II in Leicester Square, hosted at the Odeon Luxe cinema.
Camilla, recovering from a chest infection, was notably absent, leaving Charles, on the even of his 76th birthday, to walk the red carpet alone.
The Queen had attended the Film and TV Charity reception at the palace but had been forced to pull out of the premiere due to an ongoing chest infection.
She told Gladiator II director Sir Ridley Scott at the reception: “I am so sorry I’m not coming tonight. I’d be coughing throughout it.”
The Queen discreetly coughed several times during her shortened appearance at the reception and gratefully sipped on a glass of water, saying she had felt “absolutely rotten” last week but was definitely “on the mend”.
The King went on to mingle with the film’s stellar cast at the premiere, including Denzel Washington, 69, Paul Mescal, 28, Pedro Pascal, 49, and Connie Nielsen, 59, as well as director Scott, 86.
A warm handshake between the King and Sir Ridley hinted at a possible post-film chat.
Meanwhile, Mescal introduced his role, saying, “I play Lucius,” while Denzel Washington delivered a firm handshake and joked, “I didn’t know if I was supposed to grab you,” before adding, “I’m doing my best.”
The King shared lighter moments too, giggling with young attendees Kaitlyn Coleman, 7, and Sophie Alger, 4, who presented him with flowers and a brochure.
Gladiator II, the sequel to the 2000 Oscar-winning epic, is already generating buzz.
Its predecessor won five Academy Awards and grossed $465.4 million globally, cemented in cinematic history with Russell Crowe’s famous line, “Are you not entertained?”
