King Charles III visits the RSC
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On Friday 22 May the Patron of the Royal Shakespeare Company, His Majesty King Charles III, joined audiences at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon for a 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 thirty-five productions of Shakespeare to date.
On arrival, His Majesty was met by the Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, Mr Tim Cox, and representatives of Stratford-upon-Avon 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, His Majesty 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.
Items on display included costumes worn by Sir Antony Sher from Richard III (1984), Judi Dench’s Countess costume from All’s Well That Ends Well (2003), David Tennant’s robe and gown from Richard II (2013) and Co-Artistic Director Daniel Evans’s crown from the 2025 production of Edward II, in which he played the title role.
His Majesty was also introduced to some of the RSC’s most generous philanthropic supporters: Dame Susie Sainsbury DBE, Ms Miranda Curtis CMG, Sir Jonathan Bate CBE, Mr Brian Dean, Mrs Kitty Dean, Mr Tony Hales CBE, Mrs Linda Hales and Ms Juliet Grundy. His Majesty thanked them profoundly for their generous support of live theatre.
Following the conclusion of the curtain call, His Majesty was escorted backstage to meet members of The Tempest cast and creative team including Director Sir Richard Eyre, cast members Sir Kenneth Branagh, 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 JosephRoberts, Kadialy Kouyaté, Sidiki Dembélé and Solá Akingbolá.
While backstage, His Majesty took the opportunity to thank the 70+ 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+ 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.”
His Majesty has served as the RSC’s Patron since 2024, following Queen Elizabeth II who held the patronage since the company’s creation in 1961.
His Majesty 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 William Shakespeare’s death. His Royal Highness joined renowned theatre actors on stage at Stratford and performed Hamlet as part of Shakespeare Live! from the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon, featuring performances that celebrated Shakespeare's legacy.
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