Rami Malek Recalls Catching Kate Middleton ‘Off Guard’ After Asking Personal Question

Rami Malek managed to catch Kate Middleton “off guard” with a touching personal question while greeting the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William at the BAFTA Awards in February 2019. While discussing the royals’ attendance at the London premiere of No Time to Die on Jimmy Kimmel Live Tuesday, the actor, who stars in the James Bond film, recounted his previous interaction with the royal couple when he was honored for best actor for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody.

Malek said that while the Duke and Duchess study up on learning the filmography of the actors in attendance at events, Kate was “taken aback” when he asked a question about her. “I just looked at Princess Kate at one point, and I said, ‘This must be exhausting.’ And she said, ‘Why?’” he recalled to Kimmel. “[I asked,] ‘You just had a baby, right?’ I think she was taken aback.” Malek was referring to Prince Louis, who at the time of the BAFTAs was only 10 months old.

With Malek’s reference to Prince Louis, at the time only 10 months old, he continued to ask how the new mom was doing, “And in the most regal, elegant way, she gave me a look. But you can tell. Imagine, you’re dressed to the nines, have to talk to all these actors,” the Mr. Robot star explained. While the royals are “so careful” in their interactions, Malek said it was “so cool” to have a more personal moment with the Duchess.

“I think I caught her off guard for a second. And, you know, had that look of-in the most elegant, professional, royal way: ‘Yes, it’s a lot, having a kid,’” he said, adding that even offered to babysit, although the royal never took him up on his offer. “The funniest thing about that was, I said, ‘If you ever need a day off, some time off, I’m backup for you,’” he told Kimmel. “She’s like, ‘What do you mean?’ I go, ‘I can babysit, you guys go out, have a good time.’”

Malek added to Entertainment Tonight Monday that he wanted to approach his conversations with the royals in a casual manner. “For me, I just try to treat them like I would anybody else,” he said. “I’m sure a dose of normality is probably something that is quite refreshing to them.”