Skip to main contentSkip to footer

Exclusive: How Slow Horses star Gary Oldman is preparing to meet King Charles ahead of knighthood


Tinker Tailor Solider Spy star Gary Oldman will be knighted by King Charles after being named in the King's Birthday Honors. Gary talks to HELLO! about the honor...


Rebecca Lewis
Rebecca LewisLos Angeles correspondent
August 15, 2025
Share this:

Arise, Sir Gary Oldman. The acclaimed British actor will soon be knighted after being named in the King's Birthday Honors, and the 67-year-old told HELLO! how he is planning for the special day.

"Well, funny you should mention it. I had my Paul Smith suit fitting, my first fitting, this morning before I came here," he told HELLO! at the inaugural Televerse Festival at LA Live on Thursday August 14.

"I think one should [get a special suit] for the occasion," he added, before sharing that he does have a date for the investiture ceremony but cannot spill the beans.

"That's the thing," he continued, "because I knew a few weeks in advance of the news being released, but there's an embargo on it, and then the family said to me, 'Oh, you knew and you didn't tell us.' And I said, '....the Royal Family told me not to say anything and I'm going to follow the rules!' so there is a date, but I cannot say."

Gary's knighthood comes for his services to drama after decades in the business, first in theatre before moving into film and TV.

He joins contemporaries including Sir Kenneth Branagh and Sir Daniel Day-Lewis in receiving recognition which will happen formally at a later date at Buckingham Palace. King Charles recognized 1,215 people in the birthday honor's list including soccer star David Beckham.

Gary Oldman of "Slow Horses" attends the TV Academy's Inaugural Televerse Festival at JW Marriott LA Live on August 14, 2025 © Getty Images
Gary attends the TV Academy's Inaugural Televerse Festival on August 14, 2025

An Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globes and three-time Emmy nominee, Gary is once again nominated for his work as Jackson Lamb in the Apple TV+ drama Slow Horses.

The drama is a hit with the royal family, with Gary previously telling the LA Times that he met Queen Camilla at a private event and she told him they watched the series, with the Queen asking: "Are there any more?"

man wearing trench coat in dimly lit street© Courtesy of Apple
Gary Oldman in Slow Horses on Apple TV+

Season five will premiere in late September, and Gary shared that it will be more "Roddy Ho centric" which allowed him to work closer with the "gang" including Jack Lowden, Rosalind Eleazar and Olivia Cooke.

Roddy, played by Christopher Chung, is a British MI5 agent and tech specialist assigned to Slough House after working as a hacktivist.

Gary Oldman and Christopher Chung in Slow Horses© Apple TV+
Gary Oldman and Christopher Chung as Jackson and Roddy in Slow Horses

"Now, because of the nature of [season five], not only did it give me an opportunity to do more scenes with Chris Chung, who I love and only ever interact with in passing and in insults [on screen], but because it's more Roddy-based, there's more absurdist humor because of the nature of that idiot," said Gary.

"They often go off as a team, as a gang, and [Jackson is] at the desk, feet up, giving orders and then investigating as a solo, so it was nice to spend many weeks coming in and working with Chris."

More TV and Film
See more