The awkward moment Irish actor Paul Mescal was asked about meeting King Charles has gone viral, with fans branding the exchange ‘deeply inappropriate’ and lauding Paul for ‘choosing honesty over consequences’.

Ireland gained independence in 1921 following eight centuries of political and military intervention.

While the late Queen Elizabeth has been credited with helping to rebuild relationships between the nations the subject is still sore for many, leading to a tense moment when Paul, 28, was asked about the royals during the Los Angeles premiere of Gladiator II on Monday.

Asked by Variety’s Marc Malkin how ‘wild’ it was to meet King Charles last week at the London premiere, a bemused Paul answered: ‘It’s never something I thought was on the Bingo cards. I’m Irish, so it’s not on the list of priorities…’

The County Kildare native continued: ‘But it’s an amazing thing for [director’] Ridley [Scott] because I know how important that is for him. So to see his film celebrated in that context was pretty special.’

Asked what he said to the King, Paul shared: ‘You just kind of nod along and err… I found it kind of hard to hear what he was saying because your head is in such a frenzy. So you’re kind of just nodding along and smiling.’

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The awkward moment Irish actor Paul Mescal was asked about meeting King Charles has gone viral (pictured with Denzel Washington and The King at London’s Gladiator II premiere last week)

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The British monarchy has had a long and chequered relationship with Ireland, leading to a tense moment when Paul, 28, was asked about the royals during the LA premiere on Monday

Reacting to the exchange, fans wrote on X/Twitter: ‘I bet it was a nice experience. meeting up with a king? jeeez’; ‘I genuinely think asking Irish people about the British royal family is so deeply inappropriate ngl’; ‘god i love the reactions from irish actors when they make them meet the royal family’;

‘He is so real’; ‘he really went there ‘; ‘”What do you say to the king?” Lmaooo why did he ask him that’; ‘The interviewer needs to read the room and msybe some history!’; ‘That was diplomatic of him, considering.; ‘Bro chose honesty over consequences wow’; ‘So basically he doesn’t care’ [sic].

Last Wednesday, King Charles, 75, spent the eve of his birthday watching Gladiator II at London’s Leicester Square premiere.

He is Patron of the Film and TV Charity, succeeding Queen Elizabeth II, who had held the patronage since 1952.

The King also met the movie’s stars including Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen and Pedro Pascal – before settling down to watch the screening.

Queen Camilla  had to pull out of the event due to an ongoing chest infection, telling director Ridley: ‘I am so sorry I’m not coming tonight. I’d be coughing throughout it.’

During King Charles’ exchange with Oscar-winning actor Denzel, the pair shook hands as the royal asked him: ‘Are you playing someone terrible?’

The actor replied: ‘I’m a lovely man, you’ll see.’ The King added: ‘You’ve been in so many films, fantastic.’

A nervous-looking Denzel also said to the King: ‘I didn’t know whether I was meant to grab you or not’ as they shook hands.

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Reacting to the exchange, fans branded it ‘deeply inappropriate’ and lauded Paul for ‘choosing honesty over consequences’

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The King enjoyed a humorous exchange with Denzel as he chatted with the Oscar-winning actor, Pedro Pascal (left) and director Ridley Scott

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Paul stars as Lucius, the son of Russell Crowe’s character Maximus in Gladiator II, which boasts an impressive 76 percent fresh rating from critics surveyed by Rotten Tomatoes

The original Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe, won five Oscars and grossed $465.4 million worldwide at the box office.

Gladiator II sees the return of Connie Nielsen, but the rest of the cast is largely new.

Paul stars as Lucius, the son of Crowe’s character Maximus. He follows his father’s fate and becomes a gladiator after a Roman army led by General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) takes control of his home.

As part of Lucius’ plan for revenge, he risks his life to fight in the arena for Macrinus (Washington), a former slave.

Macrinus’ uses Lucius as part of his plan to overthrow the dual emperors Geta and Caracalla, as he hopes to assume their throne.

The film has so far attracted praise from critics, and it boasts an impressive 76 percent fresh rating from critics surveyed by Rotten Tomatoes.