The King faced a tricky moment during his second line-up of the evening when Sir Rod Stewart raised the topic of his recent trip to the United States. The singer addressed the monarch directly, saying of President Trump: 'You put that little ratbag in his place.'
Stewart's Comments
Sir Rod said: 'Hello Sir. May I say well done in the Americas. You were superb. Absolutely superb. You put that little ratbag in his place.' The King's reply was indistinct, though a subsequent mention of 'yes exactly' was heard, prompting Stewart to respond: 'It went right over his head.' There was speculation this could be a reference to the King's well-received speech in Congress.
Royal sources stressed that as His Majesty's words could not be heard, he should not be seen as agreeing with the star.
Other Celebrity Encounters
The King also met singers Rita Ora, Anne-Marie, and Craig David, as well as actor Lucian Laviscount and presenters Fleur East, Sam Thompson, and Tyler West. West performed a 'fist bump' with the monarch, joking: 'Every single time!'
Fun Moment at the Show's End
At the conclusion of the event, there was a light-hearted moment as the King and Queen quietly slipped out of the Royal Box unnoticed by the audience. They were then unexpectedly introduced on stage as 'the nation's favourite couple' instead of Ant and Dec.
The camera then switched to the television presenters, who had equally quietly crept into their seats in the Royal Box. Ant was heard to say: 'Sorry, sorry. There seems to have been a terrible mix up.' Dec laughed: 'Oh I don't know. I could get used to this. At least for the first time on stage they'll know which one's which.'
Ant replied to laughs: 'There is that. Hold on if you're down there and we're up here, does that mean we're running the country?' 'That would be a terrible mistake,' said Dec. 'I don't know, you know, I've always fancied my head on a stamp,' said Ant. 'That would have to be a big stamp,' joked Dec.
King's Speech
In an off-the-cuff speech, the King described it as a 'jolly good joke' and jested: 'I've always wondered if someone would put Ant and Dec back in their box.' He said it was 'hard to believe 50 years had gone by since we managed to start this trust', adding: 'All I can say is that it wasn't easy in those days. A lot of people thought it was a bad idea. Anyway we managed it. What I wanted to do more than anything else was to invest in the potential talents of so many young people who, just for the lack of self esteem and self confidence, found it very difficult to know what to do.'
He also thanked all the 'wonderful' mentors, staff, sponsors, donors, and ambassadors who 'make the whole thing work. I can waive my arms around and hope for the best but they deliver on the ground,' he beamed. He added that he was 'hugely proud' of all them and the young people they have helped. The King received several huge rounds of applause and thanks.
