King Charles III got candid about an emotional moment that recently brought him to tears — and it has everything to do with his wife, Queen Camilla.
At a Buckingham Palace reception on Wednesday before the “Gladiator II” premiere, the monarch revealed that it was a new documentary on Camilla, 77, titled “Her Majesty the Queen: Behind Closed Doors,” that made him cry.
Charles, who turned 76 on Thursday, spoke about the 90-minute film, which highlights the Queen’s work raising awareness about domestic and sexual violence while speaking with guests at the event celebrating the Film and TV Charity.
“It’s very moving isn’t it? I think BAFTA [British Academy of Film and Television Arts] are interested in it,” Charles told actor Damian Lewis, 53, who said he had seen the documentary, according to The Telegraph.
The King also spoke with Kerene Barefield and Naveed Chowdhary-Flatt, the director and producer of the documentary, respectively, confessing that he was “moved to tears” when he watched a preview of the film while in Scotland.
“I am very proud of it,” the King added of the doc, which aired Monday on ITV1. “It reduced me to tears.”
Charles also had some more lighthearted conversations at the reception about other TV and film projects. During his conversation with Lewis, the actor, who stars as King Henry VIII in the just-released BBC series “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light — joked with the King,” joked, “At least you can claim not to be related to him.” Though unfortunately for Lewis, Charles is loosely related to the murderous monarch through Henry’s sister, Margaret Tudor.
Charles also chatted with actor Joseph Fiennes, 54, and asked for recommendations on what he should add to his watch list. When Fiennes suggested the King pick up some box sets, the sovereign responded, “The trouble is, there are some good ones and some not so good ones.”
The Buckingham Palace reception took place ahead of Wednesday’s star-studded “Gladiator II” premiere in London’s Leicester Square.
While Camilla was on hand to press the flesh with guests at the TV and Film charity gathering, she skipped out on the premiere owing to her ongoing recovery from a recent chest infection, which also kept her from attending Remembrance Day events this past weekend.
The Queen told guests at Wednesday’s reception that she felt “absolutely rotten” last week but is now “on the mend.” She officially returned to royal duties on Tuesday, meeting nominees on the shortlist for this year’s Booker Prize.
