Shaquille O’Neal was born to a single mother in Newark, New Jersey – the furthest circumstances from royalty. That didn’t, however, prevent him from hypothesizing about marrying Queen Elizabeth II and becoming King of England.
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The 15-time NBA All-Star dominated the NBA at a time when most current NBA fans were either toddlers, or not born. O’Neal was perhaps the last player who fundamentally changed the way GMs constructed their roster before the 3-point revolution.
These days, however, he’s known more for attempting (and succeeding often) to provide comic relief on TNT. His role as a ‘basketball analyst’ has more to do with him playing off Charles Barkley than providing real analysis.
O’Neal’s demeanor on TV isn’t something he’s developed overnight. The big man has always been lightening the atmosphere wherever he’s been. His goofy behavior is a schtick that’s stuck with him all his life.
Shaquille O’Neal wanted to know if marrying Queen Elizabeth would make him King of England
O’Neal once appeared alongside Victoria Beckham on a talk show hosted by James Corden. The former Grammys host first got a fun story about Shaq finding David Beckham’s lost wallet out of him.
Soon after, Shaq butted in with a doubt that he presented in a completely deadpan fashion:
“I have a question. If I married the Queen of England, would that make me the King of England?”
While Corden was able to keep his composure without laughing it off while emphatically denying this possibility, he did say that O’Neal getting married to the then-92-year-old Queen of the Commonwealth would be ‘the greatest thing ever’.
However, O’Neal blew whatever chance he had by addressing her as Queen Victoria, instead of Queen Elizabeth. Her term as England’s queen had, by that point, reached 66 years in duration!
It truly would be poetic in a racial sense if an African-American became the King of England. But at the time of the interview, O’Neal was exactly half of the Queen’s age at 46. It would undoubtedly have been a shaky arrangement in that regard, at best.
Is Shaquille O’Neal attending the coronation of King Charles?
Shaq has not posted any update on his social media about attending the coronation of King Charles. It makes sense, as the TNT analyst has a lot on his schedule to manage.
Queen Elizabeth passed away at the age of 96 last September, paving the way for the long-standing crown prince Charles to succeed her in the royal lineage.
While Charles III was declared as the monarch of the Commonwealth in October last year, it’s now that he’s officially being coronated as the King of the United Kingdom.
