King Charles was left soaked after a sudden downpour caught him without an umbrella during a visit to the Caribbean, while Queen Camilla was quickly escorted to safety. The monarch's reaction to the torrential rain amused onlookers during a celebration marking Antigua and Barbuda's 45 years of independence.
Downpour interrupts independence celebration
Charles and Camilla stood on a cricket pitch alongside the country's leadership and military chiefs during the royal tour of Caribbean nations when heavy rain and gusty winds began. The 79-year-old queen was swiftly given an umbrella before being escorted away, while Charles looked around, appearing perplexed by the sudden turn of events.
He was seen throwing his hands into the air and appeared to gesticulate for an umbrella, repeating 'where's the umbrella' to his team. The 77-year-old decided to press ahead with the parade after the downpour ended as quickly as it started, and he was greeted by cheering crowds when he returned to the small stage.
Monarch jokes about soaked trousers
Charles, dressed in a beige suit and a colourful tie, joked: 'I've started growing watercress on my trousers.' Meanwhile, Camilla enjoyed the celebrations from under the royal canopy next to guests of honour, where she appeared to gesture about the unexpected weather.
King Charles began the tour in the Bahamas on Tuesday, where he joined a street parade, before a visit to Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda, where the queen joined him. The monarch is expected to touch on the slave trade that shaped the region and Britain in his address to Commonwealth leaders tomorrow.
Caribbean leaders renew apology calls
The visit comes after renewed calls from Caribbean leaders for Britain to formally apologise for its role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade that wrecked millions of lives while enriching the United Kingdom. In the Bahamas, the king said it is 'only right' to acknowledge historic wrongs.
