Charles Jokes About Rain as Caribbean Tour Faces Reparations Calls

A video shared by the Royal Family's Instagram account shows King Charles III making light of the downpour that interrupted Antigua and Barbuda's independence parade, according to Page Six. The clip also puts the focus back on a tour that is about more than the weather: it is running alongside renewed calls for the U.K. to pay slavery reparations.

Charles told Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne, “I think I’m about to grow watercress on my suit,” Page Six reported. The ceremony resumed once the king was given an umbrella.

How the tour has unfolded so far

• Oct. 27: Charles began a nine-day Caribbean tour, arriving in the Bahamas, Page Six reported. Guyana and Antigua followed.
• After landing in the Bahamas: At a youth rally, Charles said it was right to acknowledge the great suffering and injustices of the past, even as people celebrate present successes, according to Page Six, citing People. Protesters outside an event in Nassau called for payment of what they said was owed and for the return of artifacts, the BBC reported.
• Sunday: Queen Camilla joined the tour on day five, attending a church service at St. John’s Pentecostal House of Restoration, per Page Six. She and Charles then attended the independence parade marking Antigua and Barbuda’s 45th anniversary, where the rain began.
• Nov. 4: The royal couple is due to finish their Caribbean engagements, according to HELLO!.

Differing accounts of the king's mood

Reports differ on how Charles took the soaking. Page Six described him as visibly annoyed, citing BBC video of him looking around for an umbrella. HELLO! described him as bemused, saying he mimed holding an umbrella and gestured to people nearby. The Italian outlet Istituto Impariamo also said he looked bemused. His joke to Browne suggests, at the least, that he addressed the moment with humor.

Camilla was given an umbrella first and was escorted to shelter. HELLO! reported she could barely hide her laughter and was seen laughing again once both were under cover. Page Six noted that the king has cancer. It did not link that to the episode.

Why Camilla joined late

Charles handled the first two legs of the tour alone, while Camilla followed a shorter itinerary, HELLO! reported. Its royal editor, Emily Nash, said on the outlet's podcast that Camilla does not like long-haul travel. Nash said she believes the queen finds long days in the heat draining. This is Nash's view, not an official explanation.

What this means for anyone following the tour

The rain made the most widely shared moment of the trip, but the tour has a larger agenda. HELLO! reported that it combines community engagements with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which Charles attends as Head of the Commonwealth. Page Six reported that the visit comes amid continued calls for the U.K. to pay slavery reparations. In the Bahamas, Charles acknowledged past suffering in his remarks, while protesters made demands outside his event. The sources do not report any government response to those demands.

In practical terms, the stops that remain and the Commonwealth meeting are where any substantive announcements would be expected. The sources do not say what, if anything, is planned.

What comes next

The couple is scheduled to wrap up their Caribbean time on Nov. 4. The sources do not give details of the remaining engagements.

Earlier on Around Prague: What Happened When Rain Soaked King Charles at Antigua's Independence Parade

Around Prague, based on reporting by HELLO!, Page Six, Istituto Impariamo