Soap star William Roache compares workloads with King at investiture ceremony
TV stars William Roache and Matt Baker have praised the king and the work of the royal family as they were honored at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.
Roache, who holds the world record for longest-serving television actor in a continuous role for playing Ken Barlow on Coronation Street, was awarded his OBE at the royal residence in Berkshire on Wednesday morning.
Also honored were Countryfile presenter Matt Baker, actor Damian Lewis, Sir Pascal Sorlot, CEO of pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, and film director Sir John Boorman.
Speaking to the PA news agency after meeting Charles, Roache said: “Oh I love the royal family – I’ve met the Queen about seven times.
“Charles is really, really friendly and maybe more laid back in a sense.
“But the Queen was balanced – when she came (to visit the Coronation Street set) less than a year ago, she was always listening, she was attentive, she was on the ball and never missed a trick. She was very bright.
“And they always love the humor, all of them, which I like. I like the royal family a lot.”
The 90-year-old actor said he and the 74-year-old royal chatted about their respective workloads during the ceremony, adding: “Charles was lovely – very friendly.
“He said, ‘You’re not still working, are you?’; I said, ‘Yeah, I just had two ex-girlfriends on the show’.
“He said, ‘Oh, that must have been work,’ and I said, ‘May I wish you a long and happy reign, sir?’ and he said, ‘Thank you, that’s going to be a lot of work too’.”
Baker, who was awarded the MBE for his work for the Children In Need charity, also praised the royal family.
The 44-year-old said: “I’ve done a lot with the royal family over the years, I really have.
“I think for Britain I love the concept of the royal family,” he added, recalling how mucking out the Queen’s horse, Emma, was a real highlight of his television career.
He also shared that during the inauguration, he and Charles had spoken about a flock of Hebridean sheep that the presenter bought from the then Prince of Wales while filming Countryfile.
“I told him because I fed them this morning before I arrived – obviously because it was so chilly – and they’re still going strong, so we chatted about it a bit,” he said.
