King Charles III has been touring the United Kingdom following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. While signing the guest book at Northern Ireland’s Hillsborough Castle, the king became visibly upset after he realized he’d written the wrong date on the document, and his wife, Camilla, pointed out he’d done the same thing earlier, and then the pen he’d been using proceeded to leak.
"I can't bear this bloody thing! Every, stinking time."
The King falls foul of a leaky pen while signing the guest book at Hillsborough Castle. pic.twitter.com/3m6C9J1cAY
— TalkTV (@TalkTV) September 13, 2022
Besides this being amusing — on a human level, the man has just lost his mother and must be exhausted from all the public engagements. Nevertheless, it is striking that in 70 years on the throne, Charles’s mother was completely unflappable. The role of monarch demands superhuman grace and decorum. Such qualities take practice. Elizabeth had the advantage of making a habit of them while young.