Sir Christopher Nolan! “Oppenheimer” Director and Wife Emma Thomas Receive Knighthood and Damehood from King Charles

Director Christopher Nolan said after his knighthood ceremony King Charles told him he "enjoyed" his movie 'Oppenheimer'

Christopher Nolan and his wife Emma Thomas have added esteemed new titles to their name.

On Wednesday, Dec. 18, Oppenheimer director Nolan, 54, and producer Thomas, 53, met with King Charles at Buckingham Palace in London, where they were recognized with knighthood and a damehood honors for their contributions to the film industry. 

“He said he had seen Oppenheimer and enjoyed it,” Nolan told reporters of speaking with King Charles, 76, following the event, according to Sky News Australia. “It was very nice that he knew our work and was aware of it, and, yes, he was hoping that I would take this as encouragement to do more of it.”

The U.K. government announced that Nolan and Thomas would receive a knighthood and damehood back in March, just weeks after Oppenheimer swept the Academy Awards. Nolan won Best Director at March's Oscars ceremony, and the movie won Best Picture, granting both Nolan and Thomas, who produces all of Nolan's films, an additional statuette.

Related: Interstellar 10 Years Later: Christopher Nolan Compares Film's Legacy to Dark Knight in New Video (Exclusive)

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"Arise, Sir Christopher Nolan and Dame Emma Thomas!" a statement shared on the Royal Family's official social media accounts read. "Congratulations to all who received honors during today’s Investiture ceremonies, including film director Christopher Nolan and film producer Emma Thomas."

"The couple were recognized for their extraordinary contribution to Film, with their partnership producing major blockbusters such as The Dark Knight trilogy and Oppenheimer," the statement added.

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Nolan and Thomas first met as students at University College London and married in 1997, one year before they released their first feature film together, Following. Since then, Nolan has directed 11 additional movies, and Thomas has worked on each of those as a producer. They share four children: Flora, Oliver, Rory and Magnus.

Related: Anne Hathaway Celebrates Her 'Oceanic Love' for Interstellar on 10th Anniversary of Christopher Nolan's Sci-Fi Epic

Nolan and Thomas' knighthood and damehood ceremony comes weeks after casting reports began indicating that the couple's top-secret next movie will star Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Matt Damon, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron and Lupita Nyong'o. The project is slated for release July 17, 2026.