Denzel Washington’s awkward moment with the King: ‘Didn’t know’

Denzel Washington may be Hollywood royalty, but even he appeared to get a bit nervous meeting the actual King.

Footage has emerged of the Oscar-winning actor, 69, lining up along his Gladiator II co-stars at the film’s London premiere, where they each met and shook hands with King Charles.

The monarch, 75, attended the glitzy event alone as Queen Camilla was at home recovering from a chest infection.

As he reached Washington and extended his arm for a handshake, the Training Day star told him with a nervous grin: “I didn’t know if I was supposed to grab your hand or not”.

Afterwards, the King asked him about his role in Gladiator II, where he plays the villainous Macrinus.

“I’m, just an awful … I’m a lovely man you’ll see,” Washington said jokingly. “I’m a lovely chap”.

The King then told Washington, “You’ve been in so many films, it’s fantastic.”

Gladiator II returns fans to Ancient Rome, but is set 20 years after the original, focusing on a now grown-up Lucius who is forced into slavery after a Roman invasion sees his home destroyed and his wife killed.

Washington opened up about his involvement in the long-awaited sequel to 2000 megahit Gladiator in an interview with news.com.au ahead of its premiere, admitting he felt there were “less and less challenges” for him these days – but one factor clinched his decision to do it.

“It was the filmmaker,” he said, referencing the return of the original’s director, Ridley Scott.

The pair have teamed up in the past – and Washington described him as “one of the best directors” he’s ever worked with.

“He’s brilliant,” the actor declared.

“Ridley and I had great success together with American Gangster … so when he called me, I said yes. Whatever it was, I was going to do it. Because it’s him.”

There was also a complexity to Washington’s character, wealthy powerbroker Macrinus, which attracted him to Gladiator II.

“It’s more of a testament to the way the film was put together … I bring what I try to bring to it, but I never know. One never knows. I never knew what [Scott] was going to use.”