London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Wrexham: King and Queen Consort meet Hollywood royalty

Wrexham: King and Queen Consort meet Hollywood royalty

The King and the Queen Consort have met Wrexham AFC's Hollywood co-owners on a visit to the area to celebrate its new city status.

The royal couple chatted with actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney and players on the pitch and learned about the football club's redevelopment.

King Charles and Queen Camilla were in Wrexham to formally confer city status.

It is one of eight places around the UK which became a city this summer as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

The event came a day after the launch of the Netflix series Harry & Meghan provoked intense renewed interest in the Royal Family.
The King and Queen

Consort walked through the players' tunnel, and were accompanied onto the pitch by Reynolds and McElhenney.

The two actors bought the oldest club in Wales in 2021, with the goal to grow the team and return it to the English Football League.

Reynolds and McElhenney joked that they had etiquette lessons beforehand.


The two actors bought the oldest club in Wales in 2021

Ahead of the visit, 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."

The actors said they had not watched the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's controversial Netflix show. McElhenney added: "I've never heard of it."

The stars also worked on a Disney+ docuseries chronicling the purchase and stewardship of the club, who currently play in the National League, which was being filmed when the King and Queen Consort visited.

McElhenney said he hoped the King is a Wrexham supporter, adding: "If not, we'll make him a fan."

Reynolds said he hoped to talk to the King 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."

Asked if he might offer them a gift of Aviation Gin, the company which he owns, Reynolds joked: "I don't want to compete with the royal gin now, that might create a conflict of interest."

The King was heard wishing players luck for their upcoming game on Saturday, while Camilla told another player: "It's an extraordinary story."

Ryan Reynolds hoped to tell the king about work being done to improve the stadium


The club's oldest fan, 97-year-old Alex Massey, was also seen chatting with the King, while the royal couple also met Wrexham AFC disabled liaison officer, Kerry Evans.

She said : "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!"

As well as the Racecourse, the couple visited St Giles' Church and went on an impromptu walkabout in Wrexham city centre.

The King met Wrexham's oldest fan, 97-year-old Alex Massey


Hundreds lined the streets to greet the royal visitors, despite the freezing temperatures.

Charles shook hands and asked about the cold before telling the crowds to "have a stiff drink".

The couple then met Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford before moving into the church for a service to mark Wrexham becoming a city.

The King and Camilla were visiting Wrexham to mark its new city status


During that, the King formally marked the conferral of city status.

He told the congregation he and Camilla were delighted to be there to celebrate its designation.

"City status was granted to eight different communities in order to celebrate my late mother's platinum jubilee," he said.

"As we now mark this historic occasion, we also look back, with mingled sadness and pride, at that extraordinary reign, during which, as you know, my mother's great love for Wales was always apparent."

Charles said the church "truly deserves" its designation as one of the "Seven Wonders of Wales".

While there the King met Wales' first minister, Mark Drakeford


He 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."

"Gorau chwarae, cyd chwarae" means "team play is the best play".

Outside the church he greeted members of the public


Wrexham is now Wales' seventh city, joining Bangor, Cardiff, Newport, St Davids, St Asaph and Swansea.

The bid was Wrexham's fourth attempt to become a city following three failed attempts in 2000, 2002 and 2012.

At St Giles' Church the King and Camilla were shown a first edition King James Bible by Rev Dr Jason Bray


The royal couple also saw the church's treasures, which include a first edition King James Bible and an early 14th Century chalice which is still in use.

In September the King and Queen Consort made their first visit to Wales since Charles became monarch in Cardiff.


Watch: King Charles and Queen Camilla met Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney on Wrexham's pitch


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
×