King to celebrate film and TV industry and meet stars at Gladiator II premiere

The King is celebrating the UK’s film and television industry at a special reception in Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, before a night out at the star-studded Gladiator II premiere.

Charles will welcome directors, actors, TV presenters, stunt performers and costume designers to the historic royal residence in London.

At his side for part of the event will be the Queen, but Camilla is not expected to stay for the whole engagement with her diary adjusted this week to aid her recovery from a chest infection.

On the eve of his 76th birthday, the King will later make a solo outing to the glitzy global premiere of the highly anticipated Gladiator sequel at the Odeon Luxe in London’s Leicester Square after Camilla pulled out of attending the red carpet affair.

Charles will meet the film’s stars including Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen and Pedro Pascal, and director Sir Ridley Scott.

He will settle down to watch a screening of the movie – billed as continuing “the epic saga of power, intrigue and vengeance set in Ancient Rome”.

The showing is the 72nd Royal Film Performance staged by the Film and TV Charity, and the first one Charles has attended as King.

The last one was in 2022 when the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended the premiere of Top Gun: Maverick.

The earlier reception will mark the centenary of charity, of which Charles has become patron, following in the footsteps of his late mother Elizabeth II who held the role since 1952.

On show at the Palace will be a number of costumes and props from films such as Titanic and Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World, as well as the late Dame Maggie Smith’s costume from the 1982 film Evil Under The Sun.

Dame Maggie died in September at the age of 89.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will also gather with the King, and tunes from TV shows, film scores and musicals will be performed by The Countess of Wessex String Orchestra.