From 'I Hate This Pen' to Hot Mic Rants: Welcome to King Charles III's Top Gaffes

© AP Photo / Chris JacksonBritain's King Charles III.
Britain's King Charles III. - Sputnik International, 1920, 14.09.2022
Subscribe
King Charles III, who became monarch of the United Kingdom after his mother Queen Elizabeth II died on 8 September at the age of 96, has followed in the footsteps of his father, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, by making more than his share of controversial comments over the years, providing amusement for many and headaches for his staff.
King Charles III exhibited tangible frustration over a faulty pen on Tuesday as he signed a visitors' book at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland. Britain’s new reigning monarch is touring the UK as part of his introduction to his subjects.
He also appeared to be confused about what date it was, despite facing a calendar.
“Is it September 12th?” King Charles III asked an aide, and after hearing that it was the 13th, he said, “Oh God, I’ve put the wrong date down.”
At this point, his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, chimed in to remind him: “You signed the 12th earlier.” To make matters worse, the pen the King was using appeared to start leaking, prompting him to vent:
“Oh God, I hate this [pen]! I can't bear this bloody thing, what they do, every stinking time," the King said, standing up and handing the faulty writing utensil to the Queen Consort, who exclaimed:
“Oh look, it’s going everywhere.”
The temper flare up over the pen debacle on 13 September followed another awkward moment when signing documents visibly annoyed the King. On 10 September, while officially being proclaimed the UK’s reigning monarch after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, the King became irritated when confronted with a pen holder.
As he sat down to sign the Accession Proclamation marking his official ascent to the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland at St. James’s Palace in Westminster, London, the King gestured to his aides that they should clear the desk of two items - a pen box and an inkwell - that were in his way.
Image captures the moment in which King Charles III shoos away a royal aide in a bid to remove a pen and ink box moments before he's due to sign documents officially proclaiming him Britain’s new ruling monarch. - Sputnik International, 1920, 11.09.2022
WATCH: King Charles Sparks Global Outrage by Shooing Away Servant While Taking British Throne
The 73-year-old royal appeared to clench his teeth in annoyance as he indicated the two offending items that had reportedly been gifts from his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
As part of his tour, King Charles III, who has already been to Scotland, is also expected to go to Wales later this week.

Royal Gaffes

The former Prince of Wales, the eldest son of the deceased 96-year-old Queen, has built up quite a reputation as a gaffe-generator along the way.
After the royal’s marriage to Princess Diana had broken down and they separated in 1992, to divorce in 1996,a transcript of a cringeworthy “sexy” phone conversation between the then- prince and Camilla Parker Bowles emerged, thanks to the British tabloids.
© Flickr / Ra'ed QutenaKing Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla
Prince Charles and Camilla - Sputnik International, 1920, 14.09.2022
King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla
The call, ostensibly made in 1989, was printed in the People newspaper and offered up some excruciating details as the two, both married to other people at the time, fantasized about being intimate with each other. Prince Charles at the time was believed to have said: "Oh stop! I want to feel my way along you, all over you and up and down you and in and out.”
The incident was dubbed "Tampongate" because of a remark Charles made about wanting to "live inside" Camilla's “trousers".
After he ostensibly joked that “It would be much easier", Camilla reportedly responded:
"What are you going to turn into, a pair of knickers? Oh, you're going to come back as a pair of knickers."
Charles then is said to have answered in the leaked call, "Or, God forbid, a Tampax. Just my luck!"

‘Hot Mic’

The King had a hot mic moment in 2005, during a begrudging photo call at the Swiss ski resort of Klosters to mark then-Prince Charles' imminent wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles. When asked by the BBC's royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell to comment on his upcoming wedding, the royal responded sarcastically: "I'm very glad you've heard of it, anyway."
Apparently unaware that his microphone was picking up his words, he then reportedly muttered to his sons, Princes Harry and William: "Bloody people. I can't bear that man. He's so awful, he really is."

'Great Chinese Takeaway'

In 2006, the Mail on Sunday revealed a 3,000 word document, 'The Great Chinese Takeaway', purportedly written by Prince Charles about a trip to Hong Kong in 1997, during which the state was symbolically handed over to China.
The document, leaked just days after then Chinese president, Hu Jintao, made a state visit to Britain, had been circulated among friends and criticized the "ridiculous rigmarole" and "awful Soviet-style display" of Chinese soldiers as they “raise the ultimate flag".
He also described China's leaders as "appalling old waxworks".

‘Promoting Healthy Eating’

The royal ruffled more feathers in 2007, during a United Arab Emirates trip together with the Duchess of Cornwall, The Guardian reported. Prince Charles, at the time was touring a diabetes center, and attacked the fast food chain.
"Have you got anywhere with McDonald's, have you tried getting it banned? That's the key," he said while touring the Imperial College London diabetes center in Abu Dhabi.
A spokeswoman for Clarence House rushed to clarify that Prince Charles was simply promoting healthy eating and the "importance of a balanced diet, especially for children". However, McDonald's said the comment was "disappointing" and indicated younger royals had visited the chain and had a more "up-to-date picture" of what the company stood for.
King Charles III gives his address at Westminster Hall, where both Houses of Parliament met to express their condolences following the death of Queen Elizabeth II - Sputnik International, 1920, 12.09.2022
World
King Charles III’s ‘Activism’ Amid Economic Crisis Could Lead UK Throne to Ruin - Analysis
Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала