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King Charles and Queen Camilla met up with Idris Elba during a royal duty
The royal couple connected with the actor at Barking & Dagenham College on Feb. 18
The newly knighted Hijack star is an alum of the school and ambassador for the King's Foundation
It was lights, camera and royal action forKing CharlesandQueen Camilladuring their latest day of royal engagements.
On Feb. 18, the King, 77, and Queen, 78, teamed up withIdris Elbaat Barking & Dagenham College's Rush Green campus in Romford.
TheHijackstar, 53, attended the technical and professional institute that offers specialized courses and connected with the royals at the state-of-the-art film and television studios named in his honor.
Elba and King Charles shared a laugh in several photos snapped at the outing and had a bit of banter.
According toThe Mirror, theLutherstar told the sovereign, "[I] was hoping Your Majesty that we could do an improvisation together."
"Oh yes, of course," the monarch replied with a laugh, but he didn't take up the invitation.
Elsewhere during the day, the King —who performed in plays in college— reportedly told a student that Elba was "a real inspiration."
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King Charles and the actor go back many years, and it was announced in December 2025 that Elba received a knighthood for services to young people in the King's 2026 New Year's Honours list.
The Wirealum is a Goodwill Ambassador for The King's Trust, one of the sovereign's personal charities, and has credited his start in the arts to a grant he received from the charity when he was 18. The grantenabled him to attendthe eliteNational Youth Music Theatre, and his career later took off from there.
The Prince's Trust was rebranded as The King's Trust following Charles' accession to the throne in 2022, and the organization works to empower vulnerable youth to develop skills to prosper. The charity has helped over one million young people since the King established it in 1976, and today, Elba is one of several celebrity supporters.
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Reflecting after his campus meeting with the King and Queen, one of several stops the royal couple made on Wednesday, Elba said, "[When] I came here, it was a very different building, none of this was all here, it was a bit smaller and I got my confidence, and from here I went to work as an actor,"The Mirrorreported.
When asked about the impact that the Prince's Trust grant had on him, he said, "...Them granting me that money gave the confidence, not only the facility financially but the confidence to be like 'I'm doing this.' "
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