The King and Queen Consort were given a guided tour of Wrexham AFC on Friday by the club’s Hollywood actor owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
King Charles and Camilla met players and staff at the Racecourse Ground stadium during a tour of Wrexham to celebrate its new city status, granted to eight different communities to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in the summer.
Deadpool star Reynolds, 46, and McElhenney, 45, best known for appearing in comedy series, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, joked they had taken etiquette lessons in advance.
The actors, who took ownership of the club in 2021, told journalists they were “impossibly excited” to welcome the King to the grounds.
Reynolds said: “Rob and I both said early on, and this holds true and for the rest of our lives, we will do anything to uplift and elevate this community and this club and having the King pay a visit is certainly one way to do it. That’s for sure. Very excited.”
The King and Camilla walked through the players’ tunnel onto the pitch at the grounds to meet Reynolds, McElhenney and club executives.
They also greeted players from the first team and posed for a picture, before watching demonstrations from female and youth players.
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The King wished players well ahead of a game on Saturday, before joking about the pitch to head groundsman, Paul Chaloner: “It’s proper grass isn’t it, not that plastic stuff?”
He and Camilla also learned more about Powerchair football, a team participation sport for electric wheelchair-users, with Wrexham AFC the first club in Wales to facilitate games.
The club’s liaison officer, Kerry Evans, said of the royal visit: “It’s very, very special, what an honour.
“The King and Camilla both said it’s absolutely amazing the work we’ve been doing here.
“I never thought we’d have royalty at the club, now we’ve had Hollywood royalty and real royalty!”
Reynolds and McElhenney have been documenting their takeover of the club in a Disney documentary entitled Welcome to Wrexham – with cameras rolling during the royal visit.
Camilla described the club’s story as “extraordinary”.
McElhenney unofficially anointed King Charles as a fan, saying: “This is an incoming call. So we hope that he’s a fan – if not, we’ll make him a fan.”
Meanwhile, the actors said they had not watched the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix documentary which sparked controversy when it aired on Thursday – with McElhenney joking that he had never heard of the programme.
The King dodged a question about his son and daughter-in-law’s new series after it was broadcast.
Hundreds defy freezing temperatures to greet Royal guests
Huge crowds lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the King and Queen Consort as they arrived at St Giles’ Church in Wrexham city centre.
King Charles shook hands with well-wishers and advised them to “have a stiff drink” to combat the icy chill.
He and Camilla joined dignitaries including Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford for a service in the church – which has now been designated one of the Seven Wonders of Wales.
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In a speech, the King paid tribute to his late mother’s “great love” of Wales.
The monarch said: “A little earlier today, I had the opportunity to see one of the other wonders of Wrexham, namely the football club, which is busy putting Wrexham on the map as never before.
“And, of course, this comes after the Welsh national team has brought unprecedented international recognition to Wales through qualifying for the World Cup.
“The motto of Welsh football – Gorau Chwarae, Cyd Chwarae – sums up the spirit of community, and of joint endeavour, which is so important to Wales, and which, over the years, I have come to know and value more than I can possibly say.”
