Comedian Tom Davis has revealed the "weird" conversation he had with King Charles after telling the monarch he had previously worked at Buckingham Palace. Before finding fame, the 47-year-old worked in various trades and helped put up scaffolding at the royal residence more than a decade ago.
Encouraged by Ant and Dec, Tom decided to tell the King about his earlier work when he met him at The King's Trust Awards in 2023. What he expected to be a brief exchange turned into an unusual discussion.
A Surprising Exchange
Speaking on the Hanging Out With Ant And Dec podcast, Tom explained that the King greeted him by saying: "Welcome to Buckingham Palace," to which he replied: "Oh, I've been here before."
After Charles asked when he had visited, Tom explained that he had helped put up scaffolding at the Palace more than a decade earlier. "And then we got into this weird conversation with him and the guy who works with [him]," he told the presenters.
Joking About Repairs
"And he was going through different problems there might be like I was there to price a job," he laughed, before impersonating the King: "'On the left wing we've got a little [issue]'."
Tom joked that he had briefly considered "leaving the industry" after the conversation, believing he had secured "five grands worth of work at Buckingham Palace", before describing the experience as "surreal".
A Calm and Methodical Monarch
He has also spoken about the encounter during one of his comedy sets, describing Charles as calm and methodical. Recalling their conversation, Tom said the King quipped: "Not originally, I hope," after hearing about his scaffolding work.
Tom said he clarified that the job had taken place around 15 years earlier, before claiming the monarch told him he had done "a hell of a job" because "it's still standing".
Background on The King's Trust
The Prince's Trust was founded by Charles in 1976 to support young people facing barriers such as unemployment, financial hardship and difficulties accessing education and training. Following his accession to the throne, the organisation was renamed The King's Trust in 2023.
Another famous face who has spoken about meeting the King at the event is Sam Thompson. The I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! winner recalled greeting the monarch informally before realising he needed to address him more formally. Speaking to The Metro, he shared: "I met the King last year, but I wasn't invited to the palace this year. Maybe it's because I shook his hand weirdly last time and I called him 'mate'. And then I realised I got it wrong, called him 'sir' and realised he's not even a f*****g sir! I finally said Your Majesty and by that point I was sweating."
