Top 20 Hilarious Celeb Encounters with the Royal Family

#20: Sam Smith Takes a Dramatic Bow

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Per their own admission, Sam Smith “watch[es] too much ‘Downton Abbey’.” This resulted in a hilarious little blunder while they were meeting Prince William. Smith, like all people meeting the Prince, had to bow as a form of greeting. Apparently, all they expect is a polite little head nod. However, the singer went full “Downton Abbey” and performed a very cinematic, exaggerated bow, ending in a near right angle. Funnily enough, Smith has told a similar story about greeting Prince Harry as well! Oh well, it could be a lot more embarrassing than a deep bow.

#19: Lady Gaga Confuses the Queen

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Pop superstar Lady Gaga met the late Queen Elizabeth II back in 2009, at the height of her provocative era. According to tradition, those meeting the Royal Family are asked to dress in a formal and conservative manner. Well, that wasn’t exactly Lady Gaga’s style. She wore a red latex dress designed by Atsuko Kudo, complete with red boots and red crystals around her eyes. She looked stunning, but it’s probably not quite what the Queen was expecting. The monarch reportedly chuckled after seeing Gaga, perhaps flabbergasted by her brazen choice of outfit. Something tells us the singer is used to that reaction.

#18: The Queen Excitedly Greets David Beckham

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We mean, who wouldn’t? Soccer player David Beckham is basically a national treasure in the United Kingdom, and he was even made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2003. Beckham notably encountered Queen Elizabeth in 2016 while attending the Young Leaders Awards in Buckingham Palace. The Queen let loose an enormous grin while shaking the soccer legend’s hand, which is quite a surprise given her reserved public persona. We probably would’ve reacted the same way! We couldn’t picture her squealing and asking Beckham for a selfie, but this was the next best thing.

#17: Tom Wlaschiha Is Asked for Spoilers

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The Royals are just like us – well, kind of. As it turns out, they too were obsessed with “Game of Thrones”! Prince William and Princess Catherine were in Berlin at a reception when they ran into German actor Tom Wlaschiha, who played Jaqen H'ghar in the fantastical drama. The royal couple previously revealed that they enjoyed watching “Game of Thrones,” so they were likely ecstatic to see one of its actors at the event. They reportedly approached Wlaschiha and asked him for spoilers, as any of us would be tempted to do. Unfortunately, the actor’s lips were sealed and he refused to divulge any information. You know plot details are kept secret when even the Royals are denied!

#16: Harry Styles Comments on a Baby Bump

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In December of 2014, One Direction attended the Royal Variety Performance, which is a televised concert to support the Royal Variety Charity. The event was attended by Prince William and Princess Catherine, and it resulted in quite an awkward moment for Harry Styles. Rather than a simple and formal greeting, he congratulated the Princess on her baby bump. Even worse, he later admitted that she “didn't look bumpy.” At the time, Kate Middleton would have been pregnant with Princess Charlotte, who was born the following May. And with her existence, Styles will forever remember his legendary gaffe.

We all have those moments when someone’s talking to us but we just sort of freeze up. Unfortunately for Jackie Chan, that moment came while he was meeting the Queen. Chan was told to address the late monarch as “Your Royal Highness,” but when it came time for action, all he did was bow and mumble something incoherent. Now probably mortified, Chan’s mind went blank and he was forced to awkwardly nod as the Queen spoke to him. He doesn’t seem to remember a single thing that she said, and all he wanted was the interaction to end. We can’t lie, that’s pretty funny.

Rupert Everett is an acclaimed, BAFTA nominated actor known primarily for playing George Downes in “My Best Friend's Wedding.” Back in the mid-‘80s, Everett spent an evening with Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II’s younger sister. At one moment, the late Princess put a cigarette in her mouth and simply stood there, expecting Everett to light it for her. Instead, he simply continued talking. He eventually thought that she was silently offering him a cigarette, so he went ahead and grabbed one for himself. It was only after seeing Princess Margaret’s appalled reaction that he finally realized his chivalrous duty.

Rupert Everett isn’t the only celebrity to have an awkward run-in with Princess Margaret. The Bonham Carter family are quite prominent and important in the United Kingdom, so it’s no surprise they interacted with Royals. Helena Bonham Carter in particular once had a rather interesting meeting with Princess Margaret. During their interaction, the Princess told Bonham Carter that she was “getting better at acting.” Is that a compliment? Is it criticism? Who knows, but either way, the remark didn’t bother the actress, as she was used to the Royal’s personality. You could say it made her the perfect choice to portray Princess Margaret in “The Crown.”

Prince William was attending the Centrepoint charity event in 2013 when he made a joyful discovery - Taylor Swift and Jon Bon Jovi were also in attendance. Even better, he was sitting right next to Swift! While Bon Jovi was performing, Swift turned to Prince William and asked him to join her on stage. So in something of an out-of-body moment, he joined her and Bon Jovi for a rendition of “Livin’ on a Prayer.” Per his own admission, Prince William was in a “trance” at first, and sweating profusely throughout. Plus, he didn’t even know all the words to the song! At least he was a great sport about the whole thing.

#11: Emma Thompson Sings for King Charles

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In 2016, St James's Palace held a reception for British Oscar recipients. Many notable stars were in attendance, including Dame Emma Thompson. Thompson notably won the Best Actress award for her role in 1992’s “Howards End,” and the Best Adapted Screenplay award for “Sense and Sensibility.” Also in attendance was now-King Charles, who made the rounds to see all the stars. While meeting with the then-Prince, Thompson broke decorum and went with a short serenade. As Charles approached Thompson and her group, the acclaimed actress broke out in song. Obviously no harm was done, as the Royal simply smiled and stopped for a quick chat.

#10: Ben Affleck’s Son Gets a Cold

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There’s a surreal headline you probably never expected to read. Ben Affleck once took his son to London’s Kidnasium, a place filled with, in his own words, “germy balls that they kick around.” On this visit, he couldn’t help but notice that the place was filled with well-dressed men wearing earpieces. Despite initially admiring Kidnasium’s hardcore security, he quickly realized that Prince George and Princess Charlotte were in attendance. Now just imagine that, you’re minding your own business at Kidnasium when you realize your kids are playing with the freaking Prince and Princess! Affleck now tells his son that he got a cold from the future King of England, which – as colds go – is quite the honor, indeed.

Meeting Royalty is quite the process, and it seemingly got to Emilia Clarke. The “Game of Thrones” actress was invited to attend the Centrepoint Awards in 2018, and it’s there that she met Prince William. She apparently got a little flustered with all the formality, rules, and regulations, one of which included addressing him as “your Royal highness.” Unfortunately, Clarke was so nervous that she couldn’t get the words out and was left to mumble her way through a painfully embarrassing greeting. We’re sure Prince William didn’t give her too hard a time.

After attending the BAFTAs in 2018, Allison Janney rid herself of her high heels owing to some extraordinary foot pain. Unfortunately, she met up with William and Catherine, who just so happened to be pregnant AND wearing heels. Naturally, this made Janney feel like a bit of a wimp. To make matters worse, she called Catherine “honey,” which surely breaks Royal etiquette, and only made things more awkward – at least for the actress. So, in the end, this was just a smorgasbord of fail. That said, Catherine was apparently a good sport and declared her love of “I, Tonya,” so it seems like no harm was done.

We’re learning throughout this list that Emma Thompson is very forward with the royal family! In November 2018, Prince William bestowed the always-delightful Emma Thompson with the title Dame Commander of the British Empire. During the formal process, Thompson – who has known the royal since he was a child – playfully said, “I can’t kiss you, can I?” Unfortunately, Prince William playfully denied her request, perhaps wishing to stick to the formal script. He said that the day was about her, not him. Hey, not everyone is denied a kiss by the future King of England, so she has that going for her – that and, you know, being made a Dame.

We all have that friend who we can just chill with without saying a single word. Apparently Shawn Mendes and the late Queen of England didn’t quite get there during their time together. Mendes was backstage at the Queen’s 92nd birthday extravaganza when he suddenly found himself stuck in a room with the birthday girl herself. However, it was a long ten minutes of unbearable silence, as you cannot address the Queen without being addressed first, which unfortunately for him, didn't happen. In his words, the whole experience was “super weird.” “Super weird” is probably how a lot of people describe meeting Royalty, if this list is any indication.

#5: The Queen Doesn’t Recognize Simon Pegg

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We’re starting to think that maybe meeting Royalty isn’t as fun as it’s made out to be. While attending the “Voyage of the Dawn Treader” premiere, the Queen met Simon Pegg and stared at him in silence for a solid thirty seconds – at least by Simon's watch. This was because he wasn’t allowed to address her, and as such Simon could only stare back in anticipation and awkward unease. Luckily, the Queen eventually came around and asked him who he was. We guess Her Royal Highness wasn’t a big “Hot Fuzz” fan.

#4: David Duchovny & The Booty Call

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David Duchovny shared quite the interesting story on “The Late Late Show with James Corden” after he revealed a photo of David talking to Charles at a concert. One song in particular – the classic All Saints’ “Bootie Call” – visibly confused the elder Royal. Luckily, David was there to help and explained the term to the then-Prince. In that typical reserved British fashion, Charles responded with a simple, nonplussed “Ohhh.” We can only imagine what was going through his head. We don’t think too many people on this Earth can say that they’ve explained booty calls to Royalty, so enjoy that distinction, David.

English model and actress Suki Waterhouse was throwing a housewarming party in London, and she invited a number of high-profile guests. Among them was Margot Robbie, who spoke to a friendly redhead, took goofy pictures with him, and told him that he looked like Ed Sheeran. At some point throughout the night, she realized that this mystery man was none other than Prince Harry! To her credit, she didn’t realize it was him because he “wasn’t wearing a crown,” which is totally understandable. But, she now has his personal phone number, so the two clearly got along. How do we go about getting into these parties?

#2: The Spice Girls Meet King Charles

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The Spice Girls are all about having fun, and that extends to meeting royalty. The first thing you may notice is the incredibly bold attire; even by late '90s standards. Their behavior is also straight-up gutsy, which includes cheek kisses and even a cheeky butt grab by Ginger. We don’t know too many people who have grabbed then-Prince Charles’ derriere and gotten away with it – or anyone who's grabbed his derriere at all for that matter. But then again, the current King was clearly enamored. This clip is just adorable, and it shows a rare fun side of the often rigid and rule-filled process of meeting Royalty.

Then-First Lady Michelle Obama met Queen Elizabeth II before the 2009 G20 summit and did something incredibly scandalous - she embraced her! Yes, Obama laid a kind hand across the late Royal’s shoulder, and you better believe it made headlines around the world. Protocol dictates that one cannot touch the monarch, aside from a brief handshake. So laying a hand on her shoulder represented a real shattering of the custom. But it didn’t matter. The Queen reciprocated the act, seemingly not taking any offense to, as Obama herself put it, the “epic faux pas.” The Royals are only human, after all.