King Charles and Queen Camilla Step Out with “Wicked”'s Cynthia Erivo After Canceling Last Week's Outings

The King made a hilarious quip, perhaps inspired by his own past acting days, during the royal couple's visit to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

• King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London on May 29

• The royals visited amid the school's 120th anniversary and announcement of King Charles' patronage

• The stop was the first for the couple since the King canceled outings last week following the news of the upcoming general election in the U.K.

King Charles and Queen Camilla were out and about as members of the royal family scaled back their schedules ahead of the general election in the U.K.

The King, 75, and Queen, 76, visited the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London on May 29 to mark its 120th anniversary. King Charles was announced as the school’s patron earlier this month, taking over the role his late mother, Queen Elizabeth, held for 70 years.

The royal couple was escorted on their tour of the school by two VIP alumni: actor and RADA president David Harewood and actress, singer and RADA vice president Cynthia Erivo, who will star as Elphaba in the film adaptation of Wicked set for release later this year.

King Charles and Queen Camilla met students to learn more about the school’s current productions and watched a snippet of a play performed by third-year acting students. The setting might have felt familiar for the King, who performed in plays in college with a particular interest in Shakespeare, according to the royal family’s website.

Related: Why the British Royal Family May Postpone Outings as Surprise General Election Announced

After learning the rigorous statistic for admission in acting at RADA today — around 4,000 applicants for only a handful of spots — King Charles joked, "Do you put them through the most horrendous auditions?" the Daily Mail reported.

Queen Camilla also reportedly told RADA alum and actor Daniel Mays that the recent run of Guys and Dolls he was in at London's Bridge Theatre was "fantastic" and that she enjoyed bringing her grandchildren. Queen Camilla is grandmother to her daughter Laura Lopes’ daughter Eliza, 16, and twin sons Gus and Louis, 14, and her son Tom Parker Bowles’ daughter Lola, 16, and son Freddy, 14.

"She loved it and she took all her grandkids, and they said they had the most incredible night," Mays said, according to the Mail.

Related: Prince William to Step in for King Charles at Special D-Day Commemorations in France

"I left about three months ago, and towards the end of my run, she came with all her grandkids. We were only told on the day there would be an important royal visit, so we were wondering who it was going to be," he added.

The royal family’s website (which has yet to be updated in full following the death of Queen Elizabeth and the accession of King Charles in September 2022) describes Camilla as "a great supporter of the arts" who "regularly attends concerts and the theatre" with her husband.

The King and Queen also checked out the Scenic Art Studio, where they met students in the technical theatre arts program and learned more about the set design process. The couple then connected with more students and alumni about their experience at RADA before heading out.

King Charles and Queen Camilla’s visit to the school marks their first joint outing since the monarch canceled public engagements last week amid a possible political shakeup in Great Britain. On May 22, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that a general election would be held on July 4. Buckingham Palace then said the royals would postpone outings "which may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign."

Because members of the British royal family are constitutionally non-political, they traditionally leave the public space during campaigns to keep the public’s attention on the election and the key issues at hand.

King Charles had an outing planned for May 23 and two more on May 24. The palace hopes to reschedule the stops, which were on the calendar following the King's return to forward-facing duties in late April amid his cancer treatment, which was announced in February.

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However, the political activity doesn’t negate all outings. In addition to the King and Queen's outing on May 29, Prince William and Prince George attended a soccer championship at Wembley Stadium over the weekend.

Events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings, including King Charles' first overseas trip since he announced his cancer news, are expected to be attended by members of the royal family as scheduled on June 5 and June 6. Other outings are under review and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Some wondered if the upcoming general election would affect Trooping the Colour, the British Army’s annual birthday parade for the sovereign, scheduled this year for June 15. On May 28, PA Media reported that plans for the event and several dress rehearsals are still in motion for next month. However, it's unknown what King Charles' participation in the annual celebration might look like amid his cancer treatment and if Kate Middleton will attend following her cancer diagnosis.

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