''King Charles III'' is a 2014 play in blank verse by Mike Bartlett. It was premiered at the Almeida Theatre,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, in April 2014 and centres on the accession and reign of King Charles III of the United Kingdom, the then-speculative regnal name of the future

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

(who was then still

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

), and the limiting of the

freedom of the press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic News media, media, especially publication, published materials, should be conside ...

after the

News International phone hacking scandal The News International phone hacking scandal was a controversy involving the now-defunct ''News of the World'' and other British newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch. Employees of the newspaper were accused of engaging in phone hacking, police b ...

. A 90-minute television adaptation was broadcast on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

on 10 May 2017.

Production history

Its premiere production was at the Almeida Theatre from 10 April to 31 May 2014, with previews from 3 April, directed by Rupert Goold. Charles was played by

Tim Pigott-Smith Timothy Peter Pigott-Smith, (13 May 1946 – 7 April 2017) was an English film and television actor and author. He was best known for his leading role as Ronald Merrick in the television drama series '' The Jewel in the Crown'', for which he wo ...

, whilst the cast also included

Margot Leicester Margot Leicester (born September 1949) is a British actress. She has appeared in ''King Charles III (play), King Charles III'' (2017) as Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla and was 1995 Laurence Olivier Awards, nominated for an Olivier Award ...

as Camilla, Oliver Chris as

Prince William William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educat ...

Lydia Wilson Lydia Wilson (born 30 November 1984) is an English-American actress. Since graduating in 2009 from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she has performed in numerous television and theatre productions including the Olivier Award winning ''Blasted'' ...

as Kate,

Richard Goulding Richard Goulding (born 1980/1981) is a British actor, best known for playing Prince Harry in the 2014 stage play ''King Charles III'', and its 2017 BBC TV adaptation, as well as in 2016 television series ''The Windsors''. Education Goulding wa ...

as Prince Harry, Adam James as the Prime Minister and Nicholas Rowe as the Leader of the Opposition. The production transferred to the West End's Wyndham's Theatre in September 2014 for an initial three-month run, later announcing an extension to the end of January 2015. When Pigott-Smith sustained a broken collar bone, he was replaced for five weeks by

Miles Richardson Miles Richardson (born 15 July 1963) is a British actor, born in Battersea, London to parents Ian Richardson (the well-known Shakespearean actor) and Maroussia Frank (daughter of dancer and critic Elizabeth Frank), both founder members of th ...

. Following its West End run, the play began a UK tour at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre with Robert Powell in the role of Charles in September 2015, ending with a month run by the

Sydney Theatre Company Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is an Australian theatre company based in Sydney, New South Wales. The company performs in The Wharf Theatre at Dawes Point in The Rocks area of Sydney, as well as the Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Thea ...

(at the

Roslyn Packer Theatre The Roslyn Packer Theatre Walsh Bay is a theatre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The theatre is on Hickson Road at Walsh Bay, west of The Wharf Theatre, opposite Pier 6/7 on Walsh Bay. It seats up to 896 people. Originally named as the Syd ...

) making its Australian premiere in March 2016. The play transferred to Broadway for a limited engagement with the original London cast, running at the Music Box Theatre from 1 November 2015 until 31 January 2016, following previews from 10 October 2015. A typical performance ran for two hours and forty-five minutes, including one interval. A newly mounted production of the play directed by David Muse with Robert Joy as King Charles began 7 February 2017 at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington D.C. A production of the play by the UCL Drama Society, directed by Josh Moore, with services provided by UCL Stage Crew, was performed at the

Bloomsbury Theatre The Bloomsbury Theatre is a theatre on Gordon Street, Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden, owned by University College London. The Theatre has a seating capacity of 547 and offers a professional programme of innovative music, drama, come ...

from the 17th-19th November 2022.

Cast

Plot

Charles and his family gather following the

funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

of Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

. Charles, as the new

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

, then holds his first weekly audience with the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

. They discuss a new Bill for statutory regulation of the press, which has passed the House of Commons and the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

and awaits only Charles's

royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...

to become law. Charles is concerned that the law restricts

too much, and would allow governments to censor the news and prevent legitimate uncovering of abuse of power by the government. He asks the Prime Minister for alterations to the bill, but the Prime Minister refuses. The two men spar, as the Leader of the Opposition arrives for a weekly meeting with Charles, an innovation the new king has introduced. The Leader of the Opposition expresses his own doubts on the bill, but he sees little alternative but for Charles to sign. In parallel, Prince Harry has begun a relationship with Jess Edwards, a republican. Both Charles and Prince William have seen the ghost of

Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

, promising each man that he will become "the greatest king of all". One of his first actions is to refuse to give

to the press regulation bill. The Prime Minister holds a crisis meeting with the Leader of the Opposition and then goes alone to try to convince Charles to sign, but Charles continues to refuse. The Prime Minister then threatens to pass a new law bypassing the royal assent and then pass the press law, but Charles then dissolves Parliament before the Prime Minister can bring either of these plans into effect. Protests begin across the country and especially in London. Charles increases the army guard at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

, offers his protection to Jess (whom the press have made the centre of a sex scandal), and agrees to Harry's wish to become a

commoner A commoner, also known as the ''common man'', ''commoners'', the ''common people'' or the ''masses'', was in earlier use an ordinary person in a community or nation who did not have any significant social status, especially a member of neither ...

. The Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William's wife Kate) proposes a solution: William will serve as a mediator between Parliament and his father. William announces this plan at a press conference without his father's knowledge or consent. Seeing this as a betrayal, Charles reacts angrily. Ultimately, Charles is forced to

abdicate Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of duty, in other societ ...

in favour of William, who plans to sign the press bill and restore the status quo between king and Parliament. The play concludes with Harry's rejection of Jess, and William and Kate's coronation as king and queen consort.

Critical reception

The London and Broadway productions have both received positive reviews. ''The

Telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

'' s review said "attendance is compulsory", describing it as Barlett's best work to date. ''The Globe and Mail'' called the play "dreary" despite its success in London and on Broadway. It is explained to be a Shakespearean-like play that has already passed its "best before" date. The author talks about how some aspects in this futuristic play came true, like how Prince Harry ends up happy with his new spouse

Meghan Markle Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (; born Rachel Meghan Markle; August 4, 1981) is an American member of the British royal family and former actress. She is the wife of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the younger son of King Charles III. Meghan was ...

, who like Jess is also of African descent, or how the real King Charles III is known to express strong opinions on government issues.

Awards and nominations

Original London production

Broadway production

Radio adaptation

The stage play was adapted into a radio play for

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

's ''Drama on 3'' and broadcast 12 July 2015, starring the cast of the original West End production. It was re-broadcast on 6 November 2016, again on BBC Radio 3.

TV film adaptation

The play was adapted into a 90-minute TV film for

and Masterpiece on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

. The

adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...

first aired on

on 10 May 2017. Before the film had even aired, politicians and biographers already did not like the idea of a non-fiction futuristic world without the Queen. After viewing the play as a whole, it was seen as more of a political thriller and tragedy. The TV film is an hour shorter than the play time due to a few parts being removed from the original script."Stop frothing, royalists- King Charles III is the boldest BBC show of the year".
https://www.theguardian.com/us The Guardian], 10 May 2017

References

External links

Internet Broadway Database Listing
{{OlivierAward Play 2001–2025 2014 plays Plays about British royalty Plays by Mike Bartlett Cultural depictions of Charles III Laurence Olivier Award-winning plays West End plays British plays adapted into films