A King Charles umbrella mishap turned an otherwise formal royal engagement into one of the monarch’s more memorable public moments after he was left standing in a torrential downpour while Queen Camilla was quickly handed an umbrella and headed for cover.
Charles, 77, and Camilla, 79, were attending celebrations marking Antigua and Barbuda’s 45th anniversary of independence on Nov. 1 when the skies suddenly opened over Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
Camilla was quickly handed her familiar clear umbrella and headed toward shelter. Charles, however, was left getting increasingly soaked, and his reaction made it clear he had noticed the difference.
King Charles III Is Left Asking “Where’s the Umbrella?”
According to PEOPLE, the rain began shortly after the royal couple arrived at the parade. While Camilla received an umbrella, Charles remained exposed to the downpour. Video from the ceremony showed the King throwing up his hands, turning toward members of his entourage and repeatedly trying to attract their attention.
He appeared to mime holding an umbrella while asking, “Where’s the umbrella?” LBC reported. Charles eventually received one, but not before becoming thoroughly drenched.
Rather than abandon the engagement, he stepped off the dais with the umbrella and continued inspecting troops as the rain fell around him. Reuters described the King as throwing up his hands in apparent despair while Camilla had already been shielded from the storm.
However, his visible frustration did not last long. The downpour itself lasted only about five minutes before the celebrations continued in drier conditions.
Charles and Camilla Eventually See the Funny Side
Once the worst of the downpour had passed, Camilla appeared to find the situation especially amusing. PEOPLE reported that the Queen laughed when she rejoined her husband on the dais, with the pair later seen chuckling together in the viewing area.
Charles also transformed his soggy experience into a joke. While speaking with Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne afterward, the King quipped about just how wet his clothes had become.
“I think I’m about to grow watercress on my suit,” he joked, according to Reuters. The response made the initial frustration look considerably lighter in hindsight, with Charles ultimately completing the engagement despite the weather.
It’s Not King Charles’ First Viral Royal Mishap
Charles has had other unscripted moments during public engagements become talking points. Shortly after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, he became visibly frustrated when a pen leaked onto his hand during a signing ceremony in Northern Ireland.
The King complained about the troublesome pen before handing it off and later showed that he was capable of laughing about his reputation for stationery mishaps. Weather has not been his only unpredictable opponent either.
EntertainmentNow previously reported on Charles’ surprisingly calm reaction after a seagull pooped on him during a visit to Northern Ireland in May. Rather than become upset, Charles joked to onlookers, “At least it didn’t land on my head.”
The Antigua incident appears to have ended in much the same fashion: an awkward royal mishap eventually becoming something Charles could laugh about.
The Rainstorm Came During an Important Caribbean Tour
The soaked King moment occurred during a significantly more consequential trip. Charles and Camilla are in Antigua and Barbuda as part of a Caribbean tour that coincides with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
The royal couple’s visit comes amid renewed debate over Britain’s historical involvement in the transatlantic slave trade and calls from Caribbean nations for reparations. Charles has previously expressed what Reuters described as sorrow over the suffering caused by slavery, although he has stopped short of issuing an apology.
Charles is due to address Commonwealth leaders on Tuesday, Nov. 3. But before those more serious discussions, it was a much simpler problem that briefly commanded the King’s attention: finding someone — anyone — with an umbrella. Fortunately for Charles, one eventually arrived. Unfortunately, his trousers were already wet enough for watercress.
King Charles Loses Patience After Being Left Soaked Without an Umbrella