The TV duo said they “took it a bit far” while visiting the King’s home in Ayrshire.Jenny Garnsworthy and Eilidh Farquhar Trainee Trends, Showbiz and Lifestyle Writer
18:43, 23 Jan 2026
Ant and Dec confessed that they were told to be quiet while staying at King Charles’ Scottish home.(Image: Lia Toby/Getty Images)
TV presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have confessed that they had been told to “be quiet” during a sleepover at King Charles’ country house. While they recalled that they has taken things “a bit far”, the duo shared that they had “got on really well” with the then Prince of Wales.
The incident occurred as the pair had followed Charles for a year for a TV programme. McPartlin, 50, revealed that before they did their final interview with the now King, they were asked if they wanted to stay the night at his Dumfries House residence in Ayrshire.
The duo opened up about their unique sleepover on The Graham Norton Show, saying that they were never going to pass up the opportunity. McPartlin explained: “We were following him for a year for a TV show and got on really well with him.
“We were asked if we would like to spend the night at the house ahead of the final interview. We were like ‘Hell, yes!’ It was amazing and everything you’d imagine.”
However, the I’m a Celebrity host shared that he had managed to embarrass himself quite early on into the stay. He recalled: “I tried on the robe that was in my room and ran out into the corridor to find Dec and there was the prince. He said ‘hello’ and started talking to me about pruning roses. I was so embarrassed.”
Donnelly then went on to add: “We then had wine in the room and got a bit noisy. We took it a bit far and were asked to be quiet.”
The duo recently started a podcast called Hanging Out with Ant and Dec.(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
The Geordie duo, who met on hit TV show Biker Grove, have recently started up a podcast together called Hanging Out with Ant and Dec. When asked about the new venture, Ant said it just feels like “two mates catching up”.
Donnelly added: “We know each other inside out and we make each other laugh, so hopefully people will like it. Our wives are more nervous than us – they think we might give too much away.”
In a recent episode of the podcast, the pair spoke about fatherhood and how they have grown to appreciate their careers the more they have aged.
When asked about his mental health, Donnelly admitted: “I struggle a bit with it, it’s kind of a low level, constant anxiety about ‘should be doing this’ or ‘I’ve got to be doing…
“I never feel I can sit down and just watch telly, I always feel like I should be doing something else. There’s that anxiety that there’s a job that needs to be done somewhere and I should be doing it.
“I struggle with that a lot, with trying to calm that voice in the back of your head that’s going, ‘no, you should be using this time more productively’. I went through a period of having therapy about five, five or six years ago. I really got a lot out of it. I really enjoyed it.”
Ant and Dec have fronted multiple primetime entertainment shows over the course of their career, including Ant And Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Britain’s Got Talent and Ant And Dec’s Limitless Win.
Donnelly shared: “When we’re looking at projects, we always look at how can we get the whole family together?
“To entertain the whole family is no mean feat, and you’ve got to try and grab each generation and entertain them. It’s entertainment, it’s fun, but we take it incredibly seriously.”
The Graham Norton Show airs on BBC One and iPlayer at 11.20pm on Friday, January 23.