His Majesty King Charles III Attends Opening Of THE TEMPEST
The Tempest runs in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre until June 20.
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. 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.
Following the curtain call, His Majesty was escorted backstage to meet members of The Tempest cast and creative team. 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.
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...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.”
The Tempest runs in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre until June 20.
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