In “We Bought a Soccer Team” news, actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney—who purchased the Welsh pro team Wrexham AFC in late 2020—met with King Charles III and Camilla, queen consort, in Wales this past weekend. Queued on the sod-green pitch of the Racetrack Ground (which is by some measures the oldest football stadium in the world), the Hollywood lads next to the British royals made for the wildest photo op of the last month, and one of the more strangely pleasing menswear match-ups this year.
Reigning menswear monarch Charles, wearing a quite British double-breasted peak-lapel overcoat with a polka dot tie, stood next to Reynolds, who wore a slim navy suit, buttoned-up sweater vest, and nubby knit tie. It all gave off a sort of doting-headmaster-meets-head-boy vibe. (Funnily enough, Reynolds wore a very similar outfit to the People’s Choice Awards last week.) At times, the monarch and the actor appeared to be having a tête-à-tête—perhaps chatting about how things are going for Wrexham, or their varied criteria for nice, normal outfits.
King Charles III and Camilla, queen consort, talk to Wrexham AFC co-owners Ryan Reynolds (L) and Rob McElhenney (R) during their visit. Formed in 1864, Wrexham AFC is the third oldest professional football team in the world.Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
Reynolds posted a photo of their meeting with the caption: “Welcome to Wrexham Season 2: Charles in Charge.”
The story of how Canadian-born Reynolds, figurehead of the Deadpool franchise and all-around leading man, and American-born McElhenney, creator and star of the sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, made it to Wales in this capacity has been a long and sometimes funny one. The journey has also been propelled by a very Hollywood sense of optimism: “Maybe we don’t make it all the way to the Premier League,” Reynolds wondered to GQ earlier this year, “but if this club is promoted, once, twice, that’s epic, right? That’s history.” History, indeed!