John Cleese couldn’t help but view the recent coronation of British monarch King Charles III as a satire worthy of one of his classic Monty Python sketches.
In an interview with GB News, the legendary British comedian — who also famously dressed down a certain British noble named King Arthur in 1975’s Monty Python and the Holy Grail — admitted he “lost it” after starting to watch the historic televised event with his wife. “I couldn’t stop laughing,” he shared, barely able to contain himself through his harsh-yet-candid recollection. “All these people in these silly costumes, all taking things so seriously. I thought it was a [Monty] Python sketch.”
Cleese further clarified that he “wasn’t laughing at the people because they were playing their parts really well” but had one note for the “marvelous” Archbishop of Canterbury, who had to make several adjustments while bestowing the crown on the new monarch’s head. “He should have practiced putting the crown on,” he concluded. Watch the full segment below.
Aside from John Cleese’s chuckle-inducing Monty Python references, the coronation of King Charles III was met with mixed reception from UK locals and international onlookers alike. Although the ceremony was attended by the likes of Nick Cave, Emma Thompson, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie, it faced initial setbacks when homegrown artists like Adele and Ed Sheeran declined to perform. Meanwhile, The Cure frontman Robert Smith reaffirmed his anti-Royals stance by sharing a scathing political cartoon on Twitter one day before the May 6th festivities.
In February, it was announced that Cleese’s celebrated ’70s comedy series Fawlty Towers was to be revived with the original actor writing and starring alongside his daughter, Camilla Cleese.