King 'reduced to tears' by Queen's domestic abuse film

By Victoria Ward

The King has revealed he was "reduced to tears" by a powerful new documentary charting the Queen's crusade against domestic abuse.

The monarch chatted to guests about the ITV programme at a Buckingham Palace reception celebrating the film and television industry.

He also enjoyed a jovial conversation with actor Damian Lewis, who teased him about his ancestry, and asked Joseph Fiennes for box-set recommendations.

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Lewis, who is starring as Henry VIII in the BBC's Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, told the King: "At least you can claim not to be related to him."

The comment is understood to refer to the fact that the King is descended from Henry VIII's elder sister, Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scotland, the grandmother of Mary Queen of Scots.

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The monarch, who watched Wolf Hall with his wife, said: "You are fantastic in it. Will you please give your fellow actors my regards. They are just brilliant."

Lewis revealed that he too had watched the ITV documentary, Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors, in which the royal vows to fight to end the scourge of domestic abuse until she is "able to no more".

"It's very moving, isn't it?" the King said. "I think Bafta are interested in it."

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The King also spoke to Kerene Barefield and Naveed Chowdhary-Flatt, the director and producer of the documentary, telling them he had been "moved to tears" when he watched a preview in Scotland.

"I am very proud of it," he added. "It reduced me to tears."

The King, who turned 76 on Thursday, is patron of the Film and TV Charity, which supports the wellbeing of those working behind the scenes in the industry and is celebrating its centenary year.

Chatting to Joseph Fiennes, who wished him a happy birthday, the King asked: "What should I watch?"

Told that he should be tuning into box sets, he replied: "The trouble is, there are some good ones and some not so good ones."

The Duke of Edinburgh and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester also attended the reception in a royal show of force.

They were joined by guests including comedian Mo Gilligan, actors Henry Golding and Lucien Laviscount and presenters Claudia Winkleman and Fiona Bruce.

It came ahead of the global premiere of Gladiator II in aid of the Film and TV Charity, at the Odeon cinema in Leicester Square on Wednesday evening, which was attended by the King.

At the premiere, the King chatted to stars including Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Connie Nielsen, as well as director Sir Ridley Scott.

As Washington firmly shook the King's hand, he appeared to say: "I didn't know if I was supposed to grab you."

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The King asked if he was playing "someone terrible", to which Washington replied: "I'm a lovely man, you'll see."

The monarch told him: "You've been in so many films, fantastic."

The Queen opted to pull out of the red carpet event as she continues to recover from a chest infection.

She told Sir Ridley: "I am so sorry I'm not coming tonight. I'd be coughing throughout it," prompting him to clasp her hands and tell her not to worry at all.

The Queen told guests she had felt "absolutely rotten" last week but was definitely "on the mend".

Sir Lenny Henry recommended "going to Nando's" to get it out of her system.

"I think you would love it," he told her. "But if we go you have to have the extra hot sauce. That would get it out of your system!"

The Queen also chatted to actress Emily Mortimer, asking after her mother Penelope, whom she knows personally.

"She's still smoking as much as ever," Mortimer said.

"Oh, she's still on the fags!" the Queen laughed.

The King and Queen viewed a number of costumes and items from films including Titanic, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and Dame Maggie Smith's costume from Evil Under the Sun in 1982.

They were also treated to music from TV shows, film scores, and musicals, performed by the Countess of Wessex's String Orchestra.

© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2024

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