King Charles caught in Antigua downpour as Camilla takes sole umbrella

King Charles was left exposed to a tropical downpour during Antigua and Barbuda's Independence Day parade on Sunday, while Queen Camilla walked away beneath the only umbrella available at the time. The king eventually received shelter, but his visibly frustrated reaction to the rain became a headline moment of the couple's Caribbean visit.

As the storm intensified, Charles, 77, raised his hands and turned around, apparently trying to catch the attention of someone who could assist him. Camilla remained protected by her umbrella. Local participants in the parade continued without flinching as the heavy rain swept across the event.

The parade took place at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Saint George, Antigua and Barbuda. Charles was later photographed inspecting troops beneath an umbrella during the annual celebrations. After getting some protection from the weather, he joked with Prime Minister Gaston Browne about how wet he had become.

A video shared on the Royal Family's Instagram account captured the king making light of his soaked clothing. "I think I'm about to grow watercress on my suit," he told Browne. The remark followed the earlier gestures that had shown his frustration while he waited for help in the downpour.

The episode drew attention during a tour otherwise dominated by discussion of Britain's involvement in the slave trade. Charles is scheduled to address Commonwealth leaders on Tuesday. Since taking the throne, he has voiced sorrow over the suffering inflicted by slavery, but has not offered an apology, a step Britain has long resisted.

Sunday's rainstorm was not the first occasion on which the king's irritation became a public spectacle. Shortly after his accession in 2022, footage of him struggling with a leaking pen at an event in Northern Ireland spread widely on social media.

During that incident, ink leaked onto his hand and prompted an angry response. "Oh God, I hate this," Charles said. He went on to complain about the pen, saying: "I can't bear this bloody thing … every stinking time."

Charles subsequently turned that mishap into a joke of his own. At a later event, he remarked: "I'm hoping that my pen is going to work. It doesn't usually." His comment to Browne on Sunday similarly brought humour to an uncomfortable public moment.