King Charles gets unexpected gift from The OC star Ben McKenzie at SXSW London

King Charles got an unexpected gift during a chat with The OC star Ben McKenzie.

The American actor met His Majesty at London’s inaugural SXSW festival – which hails from Austin, Texas, where McKenzie was born.

The Gotham actor was there with his wife, Deadpool star Morena Baccarin, on Thursday ahead of the world premiere of his directorial debut at the famous festival.

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McKenzie’s 90-minute documentary Everyone Is Lying to You for Money comes after a career pivot into cryptocurrency, which prompted his 2023 book Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud.

That was the book he gave the monarch, who seemed intrigued during their chat.

Before meeting with the Hollywood stars, King Charles walked through East London in the rain, meeting festival attendees on the streets of Shoreditch.

Despite the wet weather, His Majesty was all smiles as he shook hands and chatted with a wide variety of people.

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The royal was also treated to a colourful performance by the Kingdom Choir at Ely’s Yard on his arrival before exploring exhibits around the festival.

After walking through an an immersive art installation centred around sustainability – a personal passion of the monarch’s – the King met the London-based artist behind it, with Damien Roach explaining his use of AI in the installation.

King Charles also viewed a climate change-themed exhibition before viewing the Beautiful Collisions exhibition, showcasing contribution of artists from the Caribbean to British Art and Culture.

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While at the festival, His Majesty attend a special reception with artists, local residents, SXSW London speakers and senior staff.

King Charles III finished his East London visit by meeting with local stall-holders at Old Spitalfields’s Market as they marked Antiques Thursday, a tradition going since 1682, when King Charles II granted the market a royal charter to trade on Thursdays and Sundays.

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