King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla met Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as they paid a visit to the football club owned by the stars.
The Royals visited Wrexham AFC, which was bought by the actors in 2021, on Friday and met players and staff as well as the co-chairmen during a tour of the Racecourse Ground.
Reynolds and Rob McElhenney joked they had had etiquette lessons ahead of the visit.
Jacob King
Deadpool actor Reynolds and McElhenney, who stars in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, joked they had had etiquette lessons ahead of the visit.
Speaking to media ahead of their meeting, Reynolds said: “I would say that we’re impossibly excited to welcome him to the Racecourse ground, this historic church that resides in the heart of Wrexham and is the heart of Wrexham.
“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 actors said they had not watched the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s controversial Netflix show, which aired the day before the visit.
McElhenney said: “I’ve never heard of it.”
The stars have chronicled their takeover of the club in documentary Welcome to Wrexham, which was being filmed when the King and Camilla visited.
McElhenney said he thought the King must be a fan of the club.
He said: “This is an incoming call. So we hope that he’s a fan. If not, we’ll make him a fan.”
Reynolds hoped to talk to the monarch about the work they were doing to improve the club and stadium.
Jacob King
Reynolds said he hoped to talk to the monarch about the work they were doing to improve the club and stadium.
He said: “I would love to tell him a little bit about what it is that we’re hoping to achieve with the renovation of the Kop stand, and it’s not even a renovation, I would say that it’s a complete reimagining of the Kop stand, and what that will mean to not just the club, but the community of Wrexham as well.”
The King joked about the pitch to head groundsman Paul Chaloner, saying: “It is proper grass isn’t it, not that plastic stuff?”
The King and Camilla went on to meet disabled liaison officer for Wrexham AFC, Kerry Evans, and participants of Powerchair football.
