[imagesource: YouTube / The Guardian]

Say what you want about Prince King Charles III – I really don’t mind but police in the UK might – but he has lost both of his parents over the past 18 months.

Prince Philip was 99, and Queen Elizabeth II was 96, so it’s not entirely unexpected.

It’s quickly becoming clear that the King and pens have a fractious relationship. While signing the official Accession Proclamation documents over the weekend, Charles had difficulties with a pen and an inkpot in a moment that quickly went viral.

Round two of royalty versus pen took place yesterday when the new monarch signed a visitor’s book at Hillsborough Castle, near Belfast.

This via The Guardian:

He reacted after the pen he was using leaked on him.

“Oh god I hate this (pen)!” Charles said, standing up and handing the pen to his wife, Camilla, Queen Consort.

“Oh look, it’s going everywhere,” Camilla said as her husband wiped his fingers.

Interesting turn of phrase there.

Charles was so disgruntled with the dastardly pen that he actually walked away, leaving Camilla to finish the job:

Now rewatch that video and pay attention to the woman directly behind Charles at the start. She did well to stifle laughter because you can tell it was bubbling up inside. She must be one of the staff that wasn’t sacked.

Charles returned to Buckingham Palace yesterday evening to receive his mother’s coffin, which was flown in from Edinburgh.

According to aviation tracker website Flightradar24, around five million people followed along online as the coffin took flight, making it the most tracked flight in history.

The coffin will today be escorted to Westminster Hall, where the Queen will lie in state until her funeral on Monday in Westminster Abbey.

[source:guardian]