Headscratchers / A Knight's Tale

• After Colville reveals himself as Prince Edward, the entire crowd seems to gasp. It seems highly unlikely that a crowd of French peasants in a small village should recognize an English prince, even if he was a war leader.
  • There were plenty of English folks in the crowd, between servants and knights.
• At the point in the film where Will needs his armour repaired, he has already been guaranteed champion standing in the sword event. Why didn't he point that out to the armourers and promise them payment from the prize money, instead of begging for aid?
  • He did. He says he will be able to pay them later. They tell him that they want money now, not promises.
• Despite dying in a terribly tragic way, Ser Ecter was at one point a former champion and had to have been well-known. How did nobody notice a knight appearing using his coat-of-arms?
  • Because they didn't use his coat-of-arms. There's a deleted scene where they decide on and design a new coat of arms for "Ulric."
• Why was the prize that William won "for sword on foot" a figurine of a mounted knight with a lance? That seems like a more appropriate prize for the winner of the joust.
  • In the commentary this very question is brought up and director Brian Helgeland jokes that he'd like to ask the prop master the same thing, but he's gone into hiding.
• Was there meant to be a sword fight between Will and Ademar? It’s just the film goes out of its way to show both of them are skilled sword fighters. It feels like there was supposed to be a sword contest between them that got cut from the script or something.
  • Jousting is the event that gets you fame and glory, sword-fighting isn't worth it to them.
• Why do William & Co not call out Ademar for cheating by using tipped lances? They've got irrefutable evidence and the Prince who they know is favourable toward them watching the entire thing.
  • WIIILLLLIIIIAAAAMMM wanted to defeat his rival publicly. Getting him disqualified for cheating doesn't do that.
    • Though it will probably come up later. Between that, losing to an unarmoured opponent and making a personal enemy of the Prince of Wales' new favourite, Ademar's future is not looking bright.