Rami Malek Says Kate Middleton Was 'Taken Aback' by His Question to Her

He spoke to the duchess at the 2019 BAFTAs.

Rami Malek might be unsettling as the new James Bond villain in No Time to Die, but it turns out the 40-year-old Oscar winner can also catch members of the royal family off-guard in real life. 

Malek opened up about meeting Kate Middleton at the 2019 BAFTA Awards during his Tuesday appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live

"I just looked at Princess Kate at one point and I said, 'This must be exhausting,' and she said, 'Why?' And I said, 'You just had a baby, right?'" Malek said of the duchess, who welcomed her son, Prince Louis, in 2018. "She was taken aback, and she said, 'How are you doing?' And I said, 'How are you?' And in the most regal, elegant way she gave me a look, but you can tell. Imagine dressed to the nines, having to talk to all these actors." 

He added of the royals, "They're so careful, but it was so cool because I think I caught her off-guard for a second and had that look of, in the most elegant, professional, royal way, 'Yes, it's a lot having a kid.'" 

Malek revealed that he also made an unusual offer to William and Kate. 

"The funniest thing about that is, I said, 'You know, if you ever need time off, I'm backup for you.' She's like, 'What do you mean?' I said, 'You guys go out, have a good time,'" he said of his babysitting offer. 

Malek recently opened up to ET about speaking to the royals, both at the BAFTAs and at the recent No Time to Die premiere. 

"For me, I just try to treat them like I would anybody else," Malek told ET of the royals. "I'm sure a dose of normality is probably something that is quite refreshing to them."  

Calling the glamorous Bond premiere "breathtaking," Malek added that he was sitting right behind the royals during the screening. 

"I got to gauge their reaction from their body language," he shares. "Definitely not going to put words in their mouths, but yeah, they seemed pretty taken aback by the film."  

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