Queen Camilla delightedly laughed when she met Nitro, a Gladiators star in spanx, at a fancy event in Buckingham Palace.

At Buckingham Palace, Queen Camilla encountered Gladiator Nitro wearing sparkly attire that was quite eye-catching, reminiscent of the Stuart era, but she remained composed and unperturbed.

During the finals of the BBC 500 Words competition for young writers on February 26, Her Majesty met the celebrity known as Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, also known as Gladiator Nitro, who was dressed in a revealing outfit, part of a formal introduction lineup.

‘This is Harry, but you night know him as Gladiator Nitro,’ she was told, leaving the Queen, 77, giggling. 

‘It’s so lovely to meet you,’ he said, with a small bow. 

Camilla expressed delight at how the children were excited to be accompanied by a character from the Gladiator series, showing her familiarity with the BBC show, as the competition winners were escorted by Nitro and his colleague Fire back to their seats.

Fire – real name Montell Douglas – told the Queen ‘it’s such an honour to be here’ and that ‘today was just about the children’ after Camilla remarked: ‘How are you managing to keep it going?

‘You must be black and blue.’

Nitro and Fire both returned for the second series of the recently rebooted Gladiators in January, alongside the likes of Giant, Legend, Diamond, Fury, Steel, Comet, Bionic, Electro, Viper, and Athena. 

However, fan-favourite Nitro was forced to quit the competition mid-season after the ex-Olympian sustained a knee injury during training. 

During Wednesday’s reception, the beloved Gladiator revealed the event was the second time he had been invited to the Palace. 

The former athlete was asked to meet Queen Elizabeth II after he became a British sprinting Olympian and member of Team GB at the European and World Championships. 

He said: ‘I met the late Queen as Harry here in this room. I was invited here in 2010-ish to highlight my achievements on behalf of the ethnic minorities.‘ 

He joked that he was slightly differently dressed then and ‘had a few more clothes on’. 

Nitro continued: ‘To be fair I did come [this time] dressed correctly and once I got here they told me [to put on his shorts and singlet]. I thought gosh, surely I must be the least dressed man in this room. I’ve added to the history.’ 

The Queen, however, didn’t ’even blink’ when she saw him. 

He said: ‘She wasn’t surprised. I guess it’s 2025 and we are welcoming all sorts into the house!’ 

The BBC star echoed Fire when he shared that it had been an ‘honour’ to get the chance to be a part of the event, before adding he reads as much as he can with his own four-year-old daughter. 

‘Hearing their words and stories put together, and from such young minds being able to achieve this. It just goes to show that we are limitless,’ Nitro praised the finalists of the writing competition. 

‘Reading and writing is a superpower,’ Nitro, whose own superpower is his lightning-fast speed and agility, concluded. 

One of the competition judges, Young Bond author Charlie Higson quipped that the Gladiators’ presence meant the palace hadn’t seen such a pair of spangly pants ‘since the Stuarts’. 

BBC 500 Words is the UK’s most prestigious writing competition and has been supported by Queen Camilla for more than a decade. 

It encourages youngsters aged between five to 11 to write a short story from their own imagination. 

The final will be televised on The One Show on March 6, World Book Day. 

Sir Lenny Henry, another judge, revealed the competition received 44,000 entries from all over the country. 

‘There were 44,000 entries this year and it was very difficult to assess all of those stories,’ the English comedian said. ‘It is a fantastic achievement to be here.’ 

Guests at the palace today also included celebrity readers Olivia Colman, Danny Jones, Tom Fletcher, Matt Lucas, and Rose Ayling-Ellis. 

At a reception afterward, the queen spoke to another Camilla Rose – a little girl aged seven, from Reading – who showed her a photograph of her dog that had died and told her how she had just got a new one – very much like the Queen. 

Camilla on Tuesday, February 25, revealed she and King Charles have adopted a new puppy named ‘Moley’ – months after her beloved Jack Russell Terrier, Beth, passed away.  

Camilla, from Reading, said: ‘She had a dog that went to heaven too and said she had got a new one. 

‘We chatted about that. She says she looked like a little mole.’