King Charles took a seagull pooping on his suit in his stride, laughing it off with a hilarious joke during a royal visit to Northern Ireland
King Charles was left red-faced during a royal walkabout after a cheeky seagull used his smart suit jacket for target practice. The 77-year-old monarch was left with a very noticeable white smear right across the back of his outfit after a flying fiend swooped down and did its business from above.
But showing he’s an absolute trooper, HRH refused to let the avian ambush ruin his mood, taking the splattering completely in his stride. The messy mishap unfolded on Wednesday afternoon (May 20) in the seaside town of Newcastle, County Down, during the King’s second day of engagements in Northern Ireland.
Charles was just leaving a food bank project and preparing to meet a massive crowd of royal fans when the projectile struck him and several bystanders.
A royal aide quickly tried to come to the rescue, discreetly pointing out the mess and offering up an overcoat so the King could cover it up.
But a smiling Charles simply waved the offer away and marched right on over to the cheering crowds who had been waiting for hours.
When a polite member of the public asked the King if he actually knew he was walking around with a giant bird dropping on his clothes, he simply laughed.
He then carried on completely as normal, spending ten minutes shaking hands and chatting with the loyal well-wishers lining the streets.
Eagle-eyed onlooker Irene Marting, 64, had been waiting across the street with her sister Paula Leitch and got to share a joke with the King about the messy incident.
Irene said: “We were talking to the King about the seagull and he said, ‘It’s well it didn’t land on my head. Somebody was trying to get him to put a coat on but he didn’t.
“Being hit by a seagull, it’s supposed to be good luck. We’re so thrilled he’s come to Northern Ireland to see us and it’s really nice to see him in Newcastle.” Another person in the crowd quipped that the bird’s act was just a “very Ulster greeting.”
Before the seagull chose him as a target, Charles had been having a whale of a time exploring the town, which sits right at the foot of Northern Ireland’s highest peak, Slieve Donard.
He stopped off at the Newcastle Community Cinema where he was handed a special VIP ticket. While there, he shared an emotional moment with deaf actor Agnes Carberry, who stars in a local film about the Troubles called A Quiet Love.
After watching a trailer, Charles embraced her and told her and her husband: “You were very courageous.” He then headed over to The Pantry Food Bank at Donard Methodist Church where he had staff in stitches by sticking his head right inside a paper bag to sniff some fresh wheaten bread.
Praising the volunteers, he told them: “You are all very, very special people. What you do is so important.”
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