King Charles Goes Solo to “Gladiator II” Premiere as Queen Camilla Cancels After Chest Infection

Earlier in the day, the King shared a laugh with Damian Lewis over a cheeky comment the actor made about another royal

King Charles is making a solo engagement as Queen Camilla rests up from a chest infection.

On Nov. 13, the King, 75, stepped out to attend the Royal Film Performance of Gladiator II at ODEON Luxe Leicester Square in London, supporting the Film and TV Charity during its 100th anniversary year. King Charles was originally set to attend the event with his wife, Queen Camilla, 77, who canceled her plans to be there after suffering from a chest infection.

PEOPLE understands that the Queen's RSVP is a precaution, with the decision made to lighten any strain as she gradually resumes public facing duties. Buckingham Palace announced on Nov. 5 that Queen Camilla was sick with a chest infection and regretfully had to cancel her plans for the week, which proved to include last weekend's Remembrance events with the royal family.

She returned to work on Nov. 12, attending a reception for The Booker Prize Foundation (describing herself as "on the mend"), and it was announced that day that she wouldn't hit the red carpet with her husband at the global premiere of Gladiator II.

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King Charles, who turns 76 tomorrow, continued on with the duty — a night out at the movies! The King is patron of the Film and TV Charity, which was founded in 1924 as a personal and professional resource for people employed in the screen industries. The Royal Film Performance has been a flagship event for the charity and supported by the royals since 1946. In May 2022, Prince William and Kate Middleton memorably made a glamorous appearance at the Royal Film Performance of Top Gun: Maverick.

The Gladiator II premiere was co-hosted by Paramount Pictures and the Film and TV Charity, and the King was welcomed to the theater by officials. Inside, he connected with director Ridley Scott and cast members including Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen and Pedro Pascal.

The sovereign was then presented with a posy and a program and moved to watch the movie, Scott's highly anticipated sequel to his Academy Award-winning film Gladiator, released in 2000 and starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix and Nielsen.

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While Queen Camilla didn't appear at the premiere (she'll have to wait until Gladiator II premieres in the U.K. on Nov. 15, ahead of the U.S. on Nov. 22!), she did step out for a related event earlier in the day.

A few hours before the Royal Film Performance on Nov. 13, Queen Camilla joined King Charles for a reception at Buckingham Palace celebrating the people who work within the film and television industries in the U.K. amid the Film and TV Charity's centenary.

The King had a chuckle with actor Damian Lewis, who is currently appearing as Henry VIII in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light. as captured by Rebecca English of The Daily Mail on social media. Lewis cheekily told the monarch, "At least you can claim not to be related to him!"

The King laughed and said of Lewis' performance, "You are fantastic in it," as captured by English.

Lewis was wrong, though — it turns out that Charles is actually related to Henry VIII after all, albeit a distant relative.

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The royal couple was joined by Prince Edward, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester and Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester, who represented the Queen at a Nov. 7 Remembrance event during her recovery from the chest infection.

The King and Queen mingled with directors, actors, television presenters, stunt actors, costume designers and more during the royal reception, and viewed memorabilia from movies including Titanic and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, as well as the late Dame Maggie Smith’s costume from Evil Under The Sun. They also heard cinematic music from The Countess of Wessex String Orchestra, which is made up of musicians from the Royal Corps of Army Music.