While many aspects of life as a royal come with deep privilege, some little annoyances in life are just inevitable: stepping into a puddle, spilling coffee on yourself, spats with a family member, pens that refuse to function.
King Charles III may be the new monarch of the United Kingdom, but that hasn't stopped him from running into the latter problem—and the whole incident was caught on video. That video, shared by CBS News on Twitter, has quickly gone viral, and reactions are mixed to say the least.
The news channel tagged the video with the tongue-in-cheek caption, "King Charles' signing ceremony at Northern Ireland's Hillsborough Castle made one thing clear – even royalty can't escape the frustration of an inadequate pen."
In the clip, the King can be heard asking for the date (which, relatable). He then says, "Oh, God, I've put the wrong date down." His wife Camilla then points out that he signed the wrong date on another document.
Charles then gets visibly flustered, saying, "Oh God, I hate this," as he hands the pen he was using to Camilla. She says, unfazed, "Oh look, it's going everywhere, hang on."
An aide rushes to take the pen from her as she takes the seat her husband has just vacated. Behind her, Charles further loses his temper, exclaiming loudly, "I can't bear this bloody thing! What they do, every stinking time."
In response, a journalist wrote, "I hope people don’t forget his mum died days ago. The most extreme pressure imaginable."
Someone else echoed that sentiment: "Give him a break. He's 73 years old, how much sleep do you think he's had, how much travel, in the last few days?
"As he mourns his mother?
"'Even royalty'. His mother passed away only days ago."
Others didn't think Charles deserved the same amount of slack. "I manage to use an inadequate pen quite frequently without throwing a little tantrum that requires several of my little employees to manage," someone said.
Another person wrote, "True colours showing again."
My humble opinion is that this is just a funny little anecdote amid what has been a troubling time for many. Comic relief, if you will. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
