Furious King Charles left soaked in Antigua as he snaps ‘the place’s the umbrella’
The King and Queen arrived for the 45th annual Antigua and Barbuda Independence Parade, but the heavens opened and left Charles standing in the downpour
(Image: Getty)
King Charles III attended a parade last night in the latest stop on his royal tour, but was battered by torrential rain. Charles was left standing in the deluge repeatedly asking: “Where’s the umbrella?”
The King and Queen arrived at Sir Vivian Richard’s Stadium for the 45th annual Antigua and Barbuda Independence Parade shortly before 6.30pm local time.
But within moments of their arrival and stepping onto the Dias, the heavens opened and Camilla, dressed in a white Anna Valentine gown, quickly turned to ask for an umbrella from her staff. After signalling several times, a personal protection officer rushed to her aid with her trusty clear umbrella as she headed to the sheltered seating area to take her position to watch the remainder of the parade.
The downpour on the parade was torrential(Image: Getty)
The King, on the other hand, appeared to be overlooked by aides as he was still standing in the deluge, repeatedly asking “where’s the umbrella?” while gesturing with his arms.
Eventually, his equerry dashed over with a compact black umbrella as he made his way into the middle of the cricket ground to inspect the Guard of Honour as it carried on raining heavily, reports the Express.
The Independence Parade marks the centerpiece of celebrations and gathers military and uniformed units for a display of ceremonial drill marching, marking national pride.
Charles stood on a small dais as dozens of troops stood to attention on the cricket pitch, now a parade ground, then moved off sheltering under the umbrella to inspect the service personnel.
The King was eventually handed an umbrella(Image: Isabel Infantes/Press Association)
When the King returned, he was cheered by the crowds, just as he was when he arrived, and acknowledged their warmth with a wave.
The downpour ended as quickly as it began, lasting around five minutes and allowing the programme of celebrations to continue in the dry.
Charles later quipped: “I’ve started growing watercress on my trousers.”
Charles and Camilla then met leading individuals recognised for their service to the country across public life, from culture, sport and education to community service.
Charles arrived in the Caribbean nation on Friday ahead of his opening of a Commonwealth summit on Tuesday, hosted by Antigua and expected to be dominated by talks about the issue of slavery.
King Charles III inspects the Troops as he attends the annual Independence Ceremonial Parade with Queen Camilla at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium(Image: Getty Images)
Charles is making a nine-day tour of the Caribbean, and when he arrived in the Bahamas on Tuesday, his first leg, the King acknowledged the “great suffering of the past” and confirmed the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) would discuss the legacy of slavery.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has offered “structured dialogue” with those affected by the transatlantic slave trade and expressed his “sorrow and regret for the pain and suffering of so many millions”, but has ruled out considering financial reparations.
Antigua’s prime minister said he had great respect for the King, who is the head of state in the island nation, but has spoken of his country becoming a republic.
