King enjoys ballet performance so much ‘he could not stop tapping his feet’

The King enjoyed a performance by the Royal Ballet so much that he “could not stop tapping his feet under the seat” as he was impressed by the show’s energy.

Charles and the Queen visited the Royal Opera House in central London for a special performance of Carlos Acosta’s Don Quixote, before going behind the curtain to meet the cast of the show on Tuesday.

The couple enjoyed the performance alongside hundreds of NHS workers who had been invited to the show in recognition of their work and service, as well as teachers the Royal Opera House works with, and members of the Songs for Ukraine chorus – which invites displaced Ukrainians to come and sing at the Royal Opera House.

After meeting Charles and Camilla backstage, principal dancer Matthew Ball said the pair were “impressed with the show and how much energy and joy we brought”.

He added: “Camilla mentioned that she’d seen our article in The Sunday Times that ran at the weekend.”

Principal dancer Mayara Magri said: “(The King) was just impressed with how much dancing we were doing. He said he could not stop tapping his feet under the seat because the music’s very moving and the amount of joy that is on the stage. It is exactly how we feel on stage, so much joy, so much energy.”

Before taking their seats, the pair also met a selection of the audience including NHS workers, and members of the Songs for Ukraine chorus.

Charles and Camilla chose not to sit in the Royal Box at the Opera House and instead requested to sit in the Grand Tier, in the centre of the theatre, where they were surrounded by members of the public.

Charles became president of the Royal Ballet in 2003, when he was the Prince of Wales, and later became the patron of the Royal Opera House in 2009.

Camilla is also known to love the ballet and takes Silver Swan ballet classes for older learners.

Earlier on Tuesday, Charles gave the first King’s Speech in more than 70 years.