- King Charles Visits Roger Gracie Academy in Hammersmith, West London
- He received an honorary white belt and awarded a black belt to a REORG trustee who overcame cancer through BJJ
- Charles told rapper Tinie Tempah he wants to use the sport to help disenfranchised young people, potentially through a new charity infrastructure
- REORG founder Sam Sheriff and former Royal Marine triple amputee Mark Ormrod spoke about the military charity’s impact on veterans and emergency services personnel
- Roger Gracie described the visit as “a very historical day … not just for us here but for all of Jiu-Jitsu”
King Charles Visits Roger Gracie Academy
King Charles Visits Roger Gracie Academy, bringing the first reigning British monarch to the Roger Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Hammersmith, West London on Thursday.
The King Charles BJJ academy visit was organized around REORG, a military charity founded by former Royal Marine and BJJ black belt Sam Sheriff that uses full-contact martial arts to support the physical and mental well-being of military personnel, veterans, and emergency services members.
During the King Charles BJJ academy visit, he watched demonstrations, met students ranging from serving military to celebrities, and was presented with an honorary white belt — a moment that visibly delighted him.
He also personally awarded a black belt to a REORG trustee who had battled cancer, recognizing the role the sport played in his recovery.
BJJ For Young People
The most significant moment of the King Charles BJJ academy visit came during a conversation between the King and rapper Tinie Tempah. Tempah later recounted that Charles told him he had been wanting to champion BJJ for young people “for ages” and had discussed the idea with Idris Elba.
The rapper said the King asked if he “could be of service in some capacity” to help set up a charity or infrastructure to get young people — particularly those from “challenged backgrounds … maybe on the verge of going into gangs” — into BJJ clubs.
Tempah noted that there are hundreds of such clubs across London and the country, making the idea feasible.
Tempah himself took up BJJ seven years ago after actor Tom Hardy invited him to a club. He has since earned a purple belt and described the sport as having “changed my life,” giving him discipline, father-figure role models, and a global community. Both of his young daughters now train as well.
REORG And The Veteran Community
The King spent considerable time with King Charles REORG beneficiaries, including former Royal Marine commando Mark Ormrod, who lost both legs and his right arm in an IED explosion in Afghanistan on Christmas Eve 2007.
Ormrod described BJJ as giving him “the gift of being challenged every time I step on the mat” and a community where “there’s no egos.”
Charles was initially reluctant about his own ability to learn, joking “I’m too old to learn these things” to a group of serving and ex-service personnel.
But the visit reception King Charles received — including the honorary white belt and the opportunity to award a black belt to a cancer survivor — left a visible impression.
A Historical Day For UK Jiu-Jitsu
Roger Gracie, the 10-time world champion and grandson of Carlos Gracie, was present at the academy alongside his father Mauricio Gomes, widely recognized as the Godfather of British Jiu-Jitsu. After the visit, Gracie said:
It was a very historical day,not just for us here but for all of Jiu-Jitsu. For our community and for everybody who has ever trained to better themselves. To have the King attend our academy was a great honour.
– Roger Gracie –
As King Charles Visits Roger Gracie Academy, it potentially signals a shift in how BJJ is perceived at the highest levels of British society — the Royal Family is now familiar with the Roger Gracie Academy King Charles toured in Hammersmith.
A reigning monarch endorsing the martial art and specifically championing its use for youth development and veteran rehabilitation could accelerate the sport’s already rapid growth in the UK.
Combined with Tinie Tempah BJJ King Charles discussed as a framework, there is now a plausible path toward government or royal patronage-backed programs for at-risk youth.
