Prince Charles Somehow Managed Not to React at All as Boris Johnson's Umbrella Went Haywire Next to Him

Prince Charles maintained a stoic, straight face as Boris Johnson's umbrella turned inside out next to him at a National UK Police Memorial dedication ceremony.

stafford, england july 28 prince charles, prince of wales looks on as c british prime minister, boris johnson r opens his umbrella at the national memorial arboretum on july 28, 2021 in stafford, england the police memorial, designed by walter jack, commemorates the courage and sacrifice of members of the uk police service who have dedicated their lives to protecting the public the memorial is set on grounds landscaped by charlotte rathbone within the national memorial arboretum and stands along with 350 memorials for the armed forces, civilian organisations and voluntary bodies who have played their part serving the country photo by christopher furlong wpa poolgetty images
(Image credit: Christopher Furlong)
  • During an appearance at the National UK Police Memorial dedication ceremony in Stafford, England on July 28, Prince Charles showed the world some royal decorum in action.
  • During the somber event, Charles was seated next to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who struggled with his umbrella when it turned inside out during the ceremony.
  • Photos of the incident show Johnson making faces and struggling to fix his umbrella within a couple of feet of Charles, while the royal seems to barely notice.

Prince Charles taught an impromptu master class in royal stoicism this week when he proved his uncanny ability to keep a straight face in the midst of a bought of objectively hilarious chaos.

The royal was among the VIP guests in attendance at the dedication ceremony of the National UK Police Memorial in Stafford, England on July 28. The memorial commemorates the courage and sacrifice UK Police workers for dedicating their lives to serving the public. who have dedicated their lives to protecting the public. The memorial was designed by Walter Jack and is located in the National Memorial Arboretum, along with 350 memorials for the armed forces, civilian organizations, and voluntary bodies who have played their part serving the country.

This is all to set the scene and give context to what a somber and serious event this was. Charles was seated next to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who struggled spectacularly with his umbrella when the outdoor event was hit by some light rain.

(Image credit: Christopher Furlong)

Charles, somehow, managed to maintain a look of complete non-reaction for most of the ordeal:

stafford, england july 28 prince charles, prince of wales looks on as c british prime minister, boris johnson r opens his umbrella at the national memorial arboretum on july 28, 2021 in stafford, england the police memorial, designed by walter jack, commemorates the courage and sacrifice of members of the uk police service who have dedicated their lives to protecting the public the memorial is set on grounds landscaped by charlotte rathbone within the national memorial arboretum and stands along with 350 memorials for the armed forces, civilian organisations and voluntary bodies who have played their part serving the country photo by christopher furlong wpa poolgetty images

(Image credit: Christopher Furlong)

Even as Johnson made faces like this:

stafford, england july 28 british prime minister boris johnson attends the dedication ceremony of the national uk police memorial at the national memorial arboretum on july 28, 2021 in stafford, england photo by samir husseinwireimage

(Image credit: Samir Hussein)

Eventually, Charles did acknowledge the awkward situation with a slight smile as Johnson physically forced the umbrella back into a functional shape.

stafford, england july 28 prince charles, prince of wales looks on as c british prime minister, boris johnson r opens his umbrella at the national memorial arboretum on july 28, 2021 in stafford, england the police memorial, designed by walter jack, commemorates the courage and sacrifice of members of the uk police service who have dedicated their lives to protecting the public the memorial is set on grounds landscaped by charlotte rathbone within the national memorial arboretum and stands along with 350 memorials for the armed forces, civilian organisations and voluntary bodies who have played their part serving the country photo by christopher furlong wpa poolgetty images

(Image credit: Christopher Furlong)

And that's what royal decorum looks like, apparently.

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Kayleigh Roberts
Weekend Editor

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.