Luke Evans recalls bonding with King Charles over vampires in surreal first meeting

Luke Evans has shared details of his memorable first encounter with King Charles.

The Welsh actor and singer, 43, is an ambassador for The Prince’s Trust and says he has had the pleasure of meeting His Majesty many times over the years, describing him as “charming”.

The very first time that they met, however, he admits took him by surprise.

Appearing on The Jonathan Ross Show to promote his second album, A Song For You, which is released on Friday, he explained: “I remember the first time I spoke to him, I was super nervous.

“I had just finished filming Dracula Untold in which I played Vlad Țepeș. He came up to me and said ‘What are you working on at the moment?’ and I said ‘I’ve just finished a movie about Vlad Țepeș who turns into Dracula.’ And he went ‘Funnily enough, I’m related to Vlad Țepeș.’

“I thought he was joking! He went through his lineage to Vlad,” the flabbergasted star told host Ross.

Elsewhere in the show — which also features guests Rita Ora and Sindhu Vee, plus Harry and Jamie Redknapp, with music from Ellie Goulding — Evans, who has appeared in Hollywood blockbusters including Fast & Furious 6 and Disney’s live action Beauty & the Beast, described singing as his “first love”.

Asked by Ross if he could choose between acting and singing, he replied: “Both of them are my career — I love them both. It probably would be the singing. Singing is just me. It’s just me and my voice. It’s a very honest, real and authentic thing.”

The Jonathan Ross Show airs Saturday at 10.0pm on ITV and ITV Hub.