Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet has shared a hilarious and mortifying story from her first encounter with King Charles III, revealing she came perilously close to flashing the monarch at a royal film premiere three decades ago.
A Revealing Royal Encounter
The British star, now 50, was just 20 years old when she attended the 1995 royal premiere of Sense and Sensibility, completely unaware she would actually meet the then-Prince Charles. Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel's talk show, Winslet explained how her excitement turned to panic when she realised the potential wardrobe malfunction awaiting the future king.
"I didn't realise that we were actually really going to meet him," Winslet confessed. "So I forgot I was wearing a transparent lace outfit and thank god I was wearing a coat as he was walking towards me I was like, nipples, nipples, nipples, omg!"
In a moment of quick thinking, someone nearby urgently whispered "coat," prompting the young actress to dramatically wrap her coat around herself like a cape while attempting to maintain royal decorum with a respectful "Your Majesty."
Royal Protocol Panic with Meryl Streep
Winslet's royal meeting anxieties weren't confined to her youth. She also revealed how she and acting legend Meryl Streep, 76, experienced a different kind of panic when meeting the King earlier this year alongside David Beckham.
The encounter occurred at St James's Palace after Winslet was made an ambassador for The King's Foundation. "There was a conversation about this, Meryl and I as we were walking to meet the King and she said, 'Do you think we have to curtsy' and I was like, 'Obviously we have to curtsy'," Winslet recalled.
The Titanic star demonstrated her leadership qualities by volunteering to curtsy first, acknowledging that "someone has to" take the potential embarrassment of getting the royal protocol wrong.
From Acting to Directing
Beyond her royal encounters, Winslet is embarking on an exciting new chapter in her career. The mother-of-three is making her directorial debut with Goodbye June, a contemporary family drama for Netflix about fractured siblings reuniting under difficult circumstances.
The project represents a family affair, with her 21-year-old son, Joe Anders, having written the screenplay at just 19 while attending the National Film and Television School. Winslet stars in the production alongside an all-star cast including Andrea Riseborough, Toni Collette, Timothy Spall, and Dame Helen Mirren.
Reflecting on her decision to direct, Winslet told Kimmel: "I was going to produce it and play the character Julia and we were ready to find a director and I suddenly couldn't let it go. I said to him [her son Joe] I would love to direct it."
The film is scheduled to hit theatres on December 12 before beginning streaming on Netflix on December 24, marking a significant milestone for both Winslet's career and her family's creative collaboration.
