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Charles Left without Umbrella in Rainstorm Fit for a King

Britain's King Charles III arrives alongside Chief of Defense Staff, Brigadier General Telbert Benjamin in the rain for a military parade marking Antigua and Barbuda's 45th Independence anniversary at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua and Barbuda, on November 1, 2026. (AFP)
Britain's King Charles III arrives alongside Chief of Defense Staff, Brigadier General Telbert Benjamin in the rain for a military parade marking Antigua and Barbuda's 45th Independence anniversary at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua and Barbuda, on November 1, 2026. (AFP)
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Charles Left without Umbrella in Rainstorm Fit for a King

Britain's King Charles III arrives alongside Chief of Defense Staff, Brigadier General Telbert Benjamin in the rain for a military parade marking Antigua and Barbuda's 45th Independence anniversary at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua and Barbuda, on November 1, 2026. (AFP)
Britain's King Charles III arrives alongside Chief of Defense Staff, Brigadier General Telbert Benjamin in the rain for a military parade marking Antigua and Barbuda's 45th Independence anniversary at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua and Barbuda, on November 1, 2026. (AFP)

King Charles flung up his hands in despair as he was caught in a tropical rainstorm in Antigua, while his wife Queen Camilla strolled off with the only available umbrella.

The couple's Caribbean tour has been dominated by the debate over Britain's role in the slave trade, but it was the sight of the soaked monarch which made headlines on Sunday.

As the rain hammered down on Charles, ‌77, he ‌was seen gesturing and turning round to ‌try ⁠to attract the ⁠attention of someone who might help, while Camilla was shielded from the downpour.

Locals taking part in the Antigua and Barbuda independence day parade did not flinch as they were lashed by the storm.

Charles was eventually given an umbrella and was seen joking about ⁠his experience with Prime Minister Gaston ‌Browne. "I think I'm about to ‌grow watercress on my suit," he said in a ‌video posted on the royal family's Instagram account.

It ‌is not the first time the frustration of the famously short-fused Charles has been captured in public.

Not long after he became king in 2022 in an incident which went ‌viral on social media, he reacted grumpily when a pen leaked ink onto ⁠his ⁠hand at an event in Northern Ireland.

"Oh God, I hate this," he cursed.

"I can't bear this bloody thing... every stinking time," he continued.

He has since made fun of himself, quipping at a subsequent event, "I'm hoping that my pen is going to work. It doesn't usually."

He is due to make a speech to Commonwealth leaders on Tuesday. Since becoming king, he has expressed sorrow for the suffering caused by slavery without crossing a line that Britain has long resisted: an apology.

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Varieties

Charles Left without Umbrella in Rainstorm Fit for a King

Britain's King Charles III arrives alongside Chief of Defense Staff, Brigadier General Telbert Benjamin in the rain for a military parade marking Antigua and Barbuda's 45th Independence anniversary at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua and Barbuda, on November 1, 2026. (AFP)
Britain's King Charles III arrives alongside Chief of Defense Staff, Brigadier General Telbert Benjamin in the rain for a military parade marking Antigua and Barbuda's 45th Independence anniversary at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua and Barbuda, on November 1, 2026. (AFP)
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Charles Left without Umbrella in Rainstorm Fit for a King

Britain's King Charles III arrives alongside Chief of Defense Staff, Brigadier General Telbert Benjamin in the rain for a military parade marking Antigua and Barbuda's 45th Independence anniversary at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua and Barbuda, on November 1, 2026. (AFP)
Britain's King Charles III arrives alongside Chief of Defense Staff, Brigadier General Telbert Benjamin in the rain for a military parade marking Antigua and Barbuda's 45th Independence anniversary at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua and Barbuda, on November 1, 2026. (AFP)

King Charles flung up his hands in despair as he was caught in a tropical rainstorm in Antigua, while his wife Queen Camilla strolled off with the only available umbrella.

The couple's Caribbean tour has been dominated by the debate over Britain's role in the slave trade, but it was the sight of the soaked monarch which made headlines on Sunday.

As the rain hammered down on Charles, ‌77, he ‌was seen gesturing and turning round to ‌try ⁠to attract the ⁠attention of someone who might help, while Camilla was shielded from the downpour.

Locals taking part in the Antigua and Barbuda independence day parade did not flinch as they were lashed by the storm.

Charles was eventually given an umbrella and was seen joking about ⁠his experience with Prime Minister Gaston ‌Browne. "I think I'm about to ‌grow watercress on my suit," he said in a ‌video posted on the royal family's Instagram account.

It ‌is not the first time the frustration of the famously short-fused Charles has been captured in public.

Not long after he became king in 2022 in an incident which went ‌viral on social media, he reacted grumpily when a pen leaked ink onto ⁠his ⁠hand at an event in Northern Ireland.

"Oh God, I hate this," he cursed.

"I can't bear this bloody thing... every stinking time," he continued.

He has since made fun of himself, quipping at a subsequent event, "I'm hoping that my pen is going to work. It doesn't usually."

He is due to make a speech to Commonwealth leaders on Tuesday. Since becoming king, he has expressed sorrow for the suffering caused by slavery without crossing a line that Britain has long resisted: an apology.

Varieties

UK Adventurer Ends Epic 28-Year Journey Across Jungles, Mountains and a Frozen Sea

British adventurer Karl Bushby walks near Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, England, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, on the final stretch of his 28-year walk around the world to get back to his mother's home in Hull. (AP)
British adventurer Karl Bushby walks near Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, England, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, on the final stretch of his 28-year walk around the world to get back to his mother's home in Hull. (AP)
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UK Adventurer Ends Epic 28-Year Journey Across Jungles, Mountains and a Frozen Sea

British adventurer Karl Bushby walks near Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, England, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, on the final stretch of his 28-year walk around the world to get back to his mother's home in Hull. (AP)
British adventurer Karl Bushby walks near Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, England, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, on the final stretch of his 28-year walk around the world to get back to his mother's home in Hull. (AP)

After 28 years, British adventurer Karl Bushby on Monday ends a 50,000-kilometer (31,000-mile) trek home from Chile across four continents without using any transport.

Bushby, who set off on his odyssey from south America in 1998, had two golden rules for his journey -- he should avoid all forms of transport to advance and not return until he completed his challenge.

The route back to his home city of Hull in northeastern England has seen him walk the length of the Americas, across the Bering Strait from Alaska to Russia and then through parts of central Asia and Europe covering jungles, mountains, deserts and a frozen sea.

People on Sunday applauded him as he crossed the Humber Bridge near Hull in thick mist, ahead of his final push into the city center and then on to his mother's home.

The 57-year-old former paratrooper, who pushed his belongings with him on a metal-framed cart, told BBC radio he was "absolutely overwhelmed" by the reception.

He will be given a civic welcome Monday by the city's mayor and members of the public.

"So many people have followed Karl on his epic journey. We have all felt inspired by his spirit, tenacity and dogged determination," said Hull's mayor Maria Coward, adding the city took "pride in his incredible achievement".

He will then embark on the very final leg of his journey to north Hull to be reunited with his mother Angela, his 36-year-old son Adam and a 12-year-old granddaughter he has never met.

- 'UK soil' -

Bushby began his odyssey adventure when he was 29 after his marriage broke down and his wife returned to Northern Ireland with their son.

He paused the journey several times, including when Moscow refused him a visa. The 2008 financial crisis and then the Covid-19 pandemic proved to be other hold-ups.

At those times, he stepped away from the journey, living notably at a base in Mexico, then once the situation had been resolved, he would resume from the exact spot where he had left off.

He reached Britain early last month by swimming across the busy English Channel from northern France.

A small gathering of friends and family including his father greeted him on the beach near Dover in southern England.

"Feels good to have UK soil under my feet after all these years," he said afterwards in a statement, adding his journey "hadn't been easy, and that's part of the point -- proving I'm more capable than I give myself credit for".

"All of us can accomplish more than we will ever imagine," he said.

Legendary German filmmaker Werner Herzog and a film crew are accompanying Bushby on his homecoming.

Herzog is making a feature-length documentary about the journey entitled "Walk of Life".

The production company behind the film has been supporting Bushby's progress for the past 16 years, providing financial and logistical assistance.

In an interview with AFP from northern France in September, Bushby voiced some apprehension about returning to a more normal life back in Britain.

"I've got to try and get established in the grown-up world again," he said.

Varieties

At ‘China’s Hollywood’, Visitors Become Stars as Consumers Spend More on Experiences

Customers dressed in traditional Chinese costumes rehearse a scene from a classic Chinese drama during a mini-drama filming experience at Hengdian World Studios in Dongyang, Zhejiang province, China, October 29, 2026. (Reuters)
Customers dressed in traditional Chinese costumes rehearse a scene from a classic Chinese drama during a mini-drama filming experience at Hengdian World Studios in Dongyang, Zhejiang province, China, October 29, 2026. (Reuters)
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At ‘China’s Hollywood’, Visitors Become Stars as Consumers Spend More on Experiences

Customers dressed in traditional Chinese costumes rehearse a scene from a classic Chinese drama during a mini-drama filming experience at Hengdian World Studios in Dongyang, Zhejiang province, China, October 29, 2026. (Reuters)
Customers dressed in traditional Chinese costumes rehearse a scene from a classic Chinese drama during a mini-drama filming experience at Hengdian World Studios in Dongyang, Zhejiang province, China, October 29, 2026. (Reuters)

Onlookers craned their necks outside an ornate palace chamber, peering through the doors at four women in silk robes and jade hairpins acting out a court intrigue. One consort slapped another across the face, the director called for another take, and the cast huddled over their phones. Then they started laughing.

But the scene was not for a television drama.

The women were friends who had traveled ‌more than ‌1,500 km (932 miles) to star in their own production ‌at ⁠Hengdian World Studios, the ⁠sprawling complex in eastern China known as "China's Hollywood" where many of the country's period dramas are filmed.

The studio has expanded into experiential tourism, allowing visitors to shoot their own scenes on sets ranging from a replica of Beijing's Forbidden City to old Shanghai streets used in professional productions.

Since the experience launched in August, Hengdian said more than 2,000 people had taken part, with bookings full on most days, particularly during weekends ⁠and holidays.

“During the National Day holiday, I shoot from ‌morning until dark, and there are still guests ‌we can't fit in,” said Wang Weili, a director who once filmed 20 groups in ‌a single day.

The attraction reflects a broader shift in Chinese consumer spending.

While a ‌slowing economy and prolonged property slump have weighed on purchases of everything from luxury goods to home furnishings, consumers have continued to spend on travel, entertainment and experiences, fueling demand for immersive attractions, such as live-action role-playing games, historical re-enactments and interactive film shoots.

“When I was ‌a kid, I loved playing director and getting the other children to act out scenes,” said Clare Huang, who was playing ⁠an empress in ⁠her group's palace drama.

“I've always enjoyed this kind of thing, so today a few of us girls get to see what it feels like.”

For 388 yuan ($55) each, Huang and her friends got their hair and makeup done, costumes, a 30-minute directed shoot and a 90-second edited video. Guests can choose from more than 20 scripts, most involving palace intrigue, romance or betrayal.

Another customer, Xie, a 28-year-old influencer who gave only her family name, travelled to Hengdian after seeing videos of the shoots on social media. She paid 498 yuan ($70) for a solo session based on an original script.

“We don't have proms in China, so now people go out in costume instead,” Xie said. “Everyone is willing to dress up a bit more boldly and show themselves in the best way they can.”