Outlander star Sam Heughan returned to the Royal Conservatoire to introduce Prince Charles, or the Duke of Rothesay, as he is known in Scotland, to a crowd which included students at the gathering in Glasgow.
Town & Country says the Duke of Rothesay came to visit the performing arts institution to take a tour and visit the place where he serves as patron. Heughan, who plays the dashing clansman in the Starz series Outlander introduced the heir to the throne to the crowd at his alma mater.
“I’m very honored to be back here at the Royal Conservatoire to welcome His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales. He’s obviously the patron of the Conservatoire, and it really was an amazing day, a great honour. And for him meet the students as well was really rewarding.”
Photos from the gathering show the two men shaking hands and laughing, both dressed impeccably in stylish modern suits, which is a great departure for Heughan, who is normally kitted out for a Colonial gathering.
On the official Clarence House Twitter page, the Duke of Rothesay (Prince Charles) memorialized his time with Heughan on stage at the RCS.
“The RCS provides undergrad and postgrad studies across music, drama, modern ballet, production and film for over 1200 students. HRH has been Patron since 2003.”
The Evening Times pointed out the irony and the humor of Heughan and Prince Charles getting chummy at a gathering in Scotland considering a central storyline in Outlander . Heughan’s character, Jamie Fraser, is a Jacobite, a supporter of King James II, and the claim of a Catholic, Scottish monarch to the throne.
Heughan’s show Outlander features Jamie Fraser fighting in the failed Jacobite Rebellion at Culloden which killed many of his compatriots, including the prince’s namesake “Bonnie Prince Charlie.”
Prince Charles confirmed that he hadn’t watched Outlander yet, but Heughan said he would hook the prince up with the back seasons of the show.
“He told me he hasn’t seen the show yet but I believe they’re going to sit down and I’m going to send him some DVDs. He’ll see his namesake in the show but I didn’t want to help him find out what happens to him. Prince Charlie obviously doesn’t do too well in Outlander .”
Professor Jeffrey Sharkey, Principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland also expressed his gratitude to Prince Charles, saying how delighted he is to have a Patron who is so dedicated to the arts.