‘Wonders of Wrexham’: King Charles Meets Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney to Chat About Their Welsh Soccer Club
King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, meet with co-owners of Wrexham AFC, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, during their visit to Wrexham AFC on Friday in Wrexham, Wales. Formed in 1864, Wrexham AFC is the third oldest professional football team in the world. Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage via Getty Images
King Charles toured the grounds of the Welsh soccer club Wrexham owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney on Friday, talking to the Hollywood actors about their dream of steering the team to sporting glory.
In cold, brilliant sunshine, King Charles joked with the co-owners on the pitch of a club that sits within the National League, four rungs below the Premier League that is home to the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool.
The Vancouver-born Reynolds, 46, of Deadpool fame, and McElhenney, 45, the creator and star of sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, bought the club in 2021, saying they had a Cinderella-like dream to steer the non-league club into England’s top flight.
Wrexham are currently second in the league and fighting for promotion.
Charles, 74, and his wife, Camilla, Queen Consort, 75, were in Wrexham to celebrate its new status as a city and to hear about the redevelopment of the club.
“A little earlier today, I had the opportunity to see one of the other wonders of Wrexham, namely the football club, which is busy putting Wrexham on the map as never before,” Charles told dignitaries later in the day.
Reynolds and McElhenney have been seen supporting the team from the stands — a very different experience from those enjoyed by the billionaire owners who sometimes fly in to the likes of Manchester City and Newcastle to enjoy high-end hospitality, and watch a bit of football.
The team’s fortunes, and the efforts of its owners, are being tracked by a documentary series available in Britain on the Disney streaming platform, called Welcome to Wrexham.
The royal visit comes a day after the King’s younger son, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, used another streaming site, Netflix, to talk about the problems they faced in the Royal Family via the documentary Harry & Meghan.
(Reporting by Farouq Suleiman; Editing by Kate Holton and Angus MacSwan)
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