• Runtime: 120 minutes

• Theatre

by Mike Bartlett

"I’ll never give away the crown, for me

It’s duty and my calling, things to do!

I know, don’t ask me how, that I will be

The greatest King of all."

In a not too distant future, Prince Charles ascends the throne as Britain’s King, a role he has been preparing for all his life. But before the coronation formalities have even been completed, the new King’s principled defence of the freedom of the press and his insistence on his own royal prerogative put him in direct conflict with parliament.

The resulting constitutional crisis divides opinions and loyalties across the nation, as well as within the royal household where Princes William and Harry, Duchess Kate and Charles’s advisors all urge him to reconsider his stance.

Mike Bartlett’s acclaimed – and controversial – future history play premiered in 2014 with a TV adaptation following in 2017. Written in Shakespearean blank verse, it echoes the intrigues and follies of the Bard’s great history plays as the saga unfolds from royal funeral to coronation day.

This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Nick Hern Books.

Contains strong language