King Charles III did not take a rain check.
After Charles, 77, and wife Queen Camilla arrived at a celebration of Antigua and Barbuda’s 45th anniversary of independence at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Sunday, November 1, the pair were rained on.
Camilla, 79, was handed a clear umbrella and began to walk away from the storm while Charles was left on the field in a video obtained by the BBC. His tan-colored suit had visible water droplets as he continued to get soaked.
The monarch appeared frustrated by the situation, gesturing with his hands in the air and waving at aides to seemingly ask for an umbrella. He was then seen making his way off the field while holding a black umbrella.
Camilla, meanwhile, was smiling and laughing at the situation as she sat down and watched. Charles later found humor in the experience, too.
“I think I’m about to grow watercress on my suit,” Charles quipped after the rainfall.
GB News royal correspondent Cameron Walker offered more insight on the situation via Instagram, sharing his perspective on “exactly what happened with the King and ‘rain gate.’”
“All of us are in the stadium and without warning — and I mean really, without warning — a big, black cloud came across. The heavens opened and it was biblical rainfall,” he said. “Like, I’ve been drier in a shower before. It was really, really heavy.”
Walker explained that Camilla “was always meant to retreat” to their seats while Charles needed to inspect troops at the event and was “stuck outside in the elements.” Walker added that he was unsure why it took “an incredibly long time” for Charles’ team to secure him an umbrella.
“He was soaked through,” Walker said. “And I think, to be honest, anyone in that situation would be absolutely livid. I certainly would be. So, yeah, he got a little bit frustrated. But cut him some slack.”
Walker pointed to Charles’ health journey, adding, “He’s 77. He’s got cancer treatment, or he’s having cancer treatment, and he kept calm, carried on, did his duty, despite being drenched … He’s a trooper.” (Buckingham Palace shared his diagnosis with an undisclosed form of cancer in 2024.)
The appearance was part of Charles and Camilla’s tour of the Caribbean. Camilla arrived on Sunday after Charles traveled through the Bahamas and Guyana the week prior. The royal couple are set to leave Antigua and Barbuda on Wednesday, November 4.
