Gemma Collins got involved with the Royals in an unlikely first encounter on Wednesday when she attended a conservation charity ball at Lancaster House.
The TOWIE star, 42, has long been passionate about animal welfare and showed her support for the Elephant Family charity at The Animal Ball.
King Charles and Queen Camilla also attended the event, which marked the charity’s 20th anniversary, as they share Gemma’s passion for conservation.
Their sweet meeting comes months after Gemma – also known by her alter ego ‘The GC’ – said ‘is anyone worried’ about the royal family except the late Queen Elizabeth.
Gemma, who also previously called King Charles “handsome,” was thrilled to meet the monarch for the first time at the event and even invited him and Queen Camilla on a safari with her.
A very royal encounter! Gemma Collins rubbed shoulders with the Royals on Wednesday as she attended a conservation charity ball at Lancaster House
Gemma has long had a close relationship with the conservation charity and made a donation when she bought two wooden life-size elephant sculptures from their 2021 Co-Existence exhibition at the Royal Parks.
Some of the 125 elephant sculptures are now on permanent display in the gardens of Their Majesties’ private residences at Highgrove and Raymill, and Gemma posed with them at the ball.
During her meeting with Queen Camilla, Gemma gushed about the elephant sculptures as she said, “They are absolutely beautiful.” What I love about it is the way the eyes move with you in the garden.’
Her Majesty then complimented the reality TV star on her striking headpiece, a headband with a shiny cherry and caterpillar on it.
“I’m just so happy to be here and share this evening with you,” Gemma told her.
Gemma turned to the king, bowed and shook his hand before naming him “King of the Planet” while praising him for his conservation work.
Gemma said, ‘You really are the king of the planet and we love you for what you do for the animals. Please keep spreading that message, it means so much.”
Later taking her place in the event, Gemma was asked about her royal meeting and confessed to inviting King Charles and Queen Camilla for a safari.
Meeting: Gemma met both King Charles and Queen Camilla at the event and even went so far as to invite them both on a safari with her
Awkward: Despite gushing over them during their first meeting, Gemma has previously said ‘is anyone worried’ about the royal family, except for the late Queen Elizabeth
She explained, “I’m looking for a documentary to raise awareness among the youth, and I really hope they get involved.
‘Me and King Charles and Camilla on safari, it would be great. I asked him about it, I said “would you be ready?”‘
Gemma shared how King Charles simply chuckled in response to her question, which she took “as a yes.”
Gemma added: ‘In this day and age no one should show cruelty to another living being, which is why Charles and Camilla are close to my heart and I’m just so fascinated by all the good work they’re doing with conservation. ‘
The meeting comes months after Gemma said “is anyone worried” about the Royals apart from the late Queen Elizabeth, who died in September, and shared how her dream is to land a role in The Crown.
In February, Gemma told the Daily Mail: ‘I mean, I loved the Queen. Christmas wouldn’t be the same without her. The queen was the queen. She was number one Hun. Does anyone care about the rest?’
In the interview, Gemma admitted that she loves what King Charles does for the elephants, but she gave in would bypass him and give the crown directly to Prince William and Kate Middleton.
When asked which Royal she would like to be, she added: ‘Kate is a bit classy. But I would probably be Sarah Ferguson. Oh, no – Princess Margaret, in Mustique, with the fagot. She always looked like she was having a great time.’
Sweet: During their meeting, Queen Camilla complimented the reality TV star on her eye-catching headpiece, a headband with a shiny cherry and caterpillar on it
Gemma has also previously called King Charles “so handsome” in gushing moments on her Covid reality TV show, titled Diva In Lockdown.
After swapping shoulders with King Charles, the TV personality took to Instagram to chronicle her day and share a photo of herself looking glamorous for the event.
“What a moment it was,” Gemma said in a gushing caption, alongside a crown emoji, referencing her encounter with King Charles.
For the event, Gemma looked fabulous in a head-to-toe Valentino ensemble consisting of a gorgeous floaty red and white dress that billowed around her.
She gave herself a few extra inches in a pair of peep toe villain heels and wore a quirky cherry headband to complete her look.
Gemma wore her golden locks in glamorous waves and enhanced her striking features with lots of mascara and a bold red lipstick.
The star has long been passionate about animal welfare and bought two sculptures from Elephant Family in 2021 to support their hard work.
Wow! After meeting King Charles at the prom, Gemma took to Instagram to chronicle her day and shared a photo of herself looking glamorous for the event
Part of an exhibition in 2021, the 125 life-size sculptures are made from Lantana, an invasive weed that affects the living environment of humans and animals in India.
Some of the Lanterna Elephant sculptures that were part of the exhibition are now on permanent display in the gardens at Highgrove and Raymill.
In April 2021, Gemma proved her passion for animal welfare when she posed with a skinned fox in a shocking image in support of a PETA campaign to ban the fur trade in the year.
She also famously posed nude to participate in the animal rights organization’s I Would Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur campaign.