Revealed: Charles' viral 'umbrella-gate' blunder was caused by an aide leaving his brolly in the car
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When King Charles found himself at the mercy of the heavens during his Caribbean tour last Sunday, the apparent blunder by aides sparked an international social media frenzy.
But ‘umbrella-gate’ – as it has been dubbed – was triggered because of a very relatable oversight: the monarch had left his brolly in the back seat of his car, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Following a rigorous post-mortem into the embarrassing incident, a royal insider has claimed the King’s umbrella was still inside the vehicle when it was parked at the back of the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua last Sunday.
Charles had, by that point, already been dropped off for the celebrations to mark the Caribbean nation’s 45th anniversary of independence.
The incident saw the soaked King wiping his forehead during the downpour. An equerry finally handed him a small emergency brolly.
The mishap has prompted royal aides to create a new brolly-focused ‘protocol’ to ensure the King is never caught out by inclement weather on the public stage again. From now on, several umbrellas will be carried by staff during visits.
In a viral scene now dubbed 'Umbrella gate', the King was captured waving frantically and telling staff to 'bring it' after being left soaked to the bone during the rainstorm during his visit to Antigua last Saturday
Charles's lightweight summer suit was drenched in the sudden downpour
Charles and Camilla had been attending the annual Independence Ceremonial Parade, marking 45 years of Antigua and Barbuda's independence
A source at the event told the MoS: ‘It was left in the car which then drove to the back of the stadium. Several umbrellas were carried by staff after that for the remainder of the visit.’
The incident last weekend saw the soaked King, wearing a light beige suit, grumpily wiping his forehead during a torrential downpour at the ceremony and repeatedly gesturing to his entourage.
An equerry subsequently provided a small black collapsible brolly – although it was hardly up to his usual standards.
The insider added it ‘probably came from one of the guests in the official tent’.
The King has treated the blunder with good humour, and has been encouraged by staff - who knew the grumpy clip would go viral - to turn it into a joke.
The Royal Family’s official Instagram account subsequently shared footage of Charles joking to Antigua’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne, telling him: ‘I think I’m about to grow watercress on my suit.’
A source at the event said the person responsible had been ‘spoken to’ about the umbrella incident.
The source said: ‘The driver did what he was supposed to do, so he was not told off. The Personal Protection Officers were told off.’
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