The moment King Charles III frustratedly snapped at an aide to help Queen Camilla with her coat was caught on camera on Monday, as the royal couple undertook the first day of a visit to the Channel Islands.
A livestream of the day's events on the island of Jersey, located between the southern coast of England and northwestern coast of France, showed the moment Charles and Camilla were caught in a rainstorm as they watched an outdoor parade.
As seen in the footage, Camilla struggled to hold her umbrella while putting on her coat. Charles attempted to assist his wife before frustratedly gesturing for an aide to help her with the coat, as he turned his attention back to the event.
Newsweek has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment via email.
The moment, which was first spotted by the Daily Mail, follows a series of public frustrations Charles exhibited in the days and months after his accession to the throne in 2022.
Famously, the monarch lost his temper with aides over a pen tray blocking his use of a table during his accession council two days after becoming king. Then, two days later, he was caught on camera angrily gesturing after a fountain pen leaked over his hand as he signed a visitors book during a trip to Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland with Camilla.
"Oh God, I hate this pen!" he was heard saying on news footage, adding, "Can't bear this bloody thing! [It's] what they do every stinking time."
Royal fans poked fun at the king in the days afterward, with one handing him a pen during a royal walkabout in case he needed a reliable one. The king laughed off the moment.
Another two incidents were caught on camera in 2023. On the day of his coronation, the king, eager to get moving, appeared frustrated as he and Camilla waited in their carriage at Buckingham Palace.
Two months later, Charles was seen gesturing for aides to help Camilla as she exited the royal car outside St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland, ahead of the Scottish coronation celebrations.
Charles' temper has often been debated over the years, with the consensus among his biographers being that his outbursts can be fierce but brief, often followed by a swift apology.
"He can vent his fury when things go wrong with his schedule, or when he feels that his instructions have not been obeyed, only to calm down moments later when he is assured that his instructions have been followed to the letter after all," veteran royal correspondent Valentine Low wrote of Charles in his 2022 book, Courtiers.
"'Oh, thank you so much,' he will say, the very image of gratitude and contrition. It is a rollercoaster ride, and those close to the king are used to it," Low continued.
Following their visit to the Channel Islands, Charles and Camilla are due to attend the State Opening of Parliament in London on July 17.
At the event, which would mark the second time Charles opened Parliament as monarch, the king is expected to read a speech written for him by the government outlining its policy goals for the forthcoming parliamentary session.
Charles appointed Sir Keir Starmer as Britain's new prime minister after a general election on July 4, ushering in the first Labour government in 14 years.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
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