A reality television personality has revealed how his meeting with King Charles at Buckingham Palace descended into a comedy of errors, culminating in an excruciatingly informal greeting.
A Catastrophic Start to a Royal Encounter
Sam Thompson, the 33-year-old former star of Made in Chelsea, attended a Buckingham Palace event for The King's Trust charity in late 2025. The day, however, was doomed from the outset. Thompson was running late after his friend, Pete Wicks, helped him choose a suit and tie. His delays worsened when he realised he had forgotten his official invitation, forcing him to plead with Palace security to grant him entry.
By the time he was admitted, the royal meet and greet was already underway. In a moment of flustered panic, Thompson approached the monarch and opened with the decidedly un-royal salutation: "All right, mate." Attempting to recover, he then stumbled through a series of titles, telling the King: "God, you're not even a sir. Mate, sir, Your Majesty."
The King's Graceful Response and Staff Displeasure
Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Thompson admitted the monarch was "very nice about it". He even noted the King had "very soft hands". The same leniency was not shown by the royal retinue. Thompson observed that the Palace staff standing behind King Charles "didn't look very happy" with his casual approach.
This awkward encounter comes amid analysis of the King's evolving communication style. Grant Harrold, a former butler to Charles during his time as Prince of Wales, recently highlighted a significant shift in how the modern monarchy speaks to the public.
A New Era of Royal Communication
Harrold, now an etiquette expert and royal commentator, pointed to the cancer update the 77-year-old King shared on December 12, 2025. In a video message for Channel 4's Stand Up To Cancer campaign, Charles revealed that due to his early diagnosis and "effective intervention", his treatment could be reduced.
Harrold argues the importance of the announcement was not its medical detail, but its intention. "He knows this will be picked up and followed around the world," Harrold said. "So rather than making it about himself, he’s used the moment to help others." He praised the King for using global headlines to remind people to get checked, calling it a "very clever and carefully orchestrated" way to leverage his position for public good.
The contrast is striking: while a TV star fumbles with informal greetings, the King himself is strategically adopting a more open and purposeful form of communication, using his platform to advocate for public health awareness.
