The new monarch appeared to sign a guest book in front of the cameras at Hillsborough Castle, near Belfast. He reacted after the pen he was using leaked on him. “Oh my god, I hate this (pen)!” said Charles, standing up and handing the pen to his wife, Camilla, Queen Consort. “Oh look, it’s going everywhere,” Camila said as her husband wiped his fingers. “I can’t stand this bloody… whenever it stinks,” Charles said as he left. King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen’s consort sign the visitor’s book during a visit to Hillsborough Castle. The monarch complained audibly about the leaking pen. Photo: Niall Carson/AP When he filled out the paperwork on Tuesday, he also used the wrong date, before consulting an assistant who told him it was September 13, not September 12. The King had earlier been greeted by crowds in Belfast and delivered his own pledge to the region. The visit to Northern Ireland is part of a tour of the UK in the days since Queen Elizabeth’s death. The new monarch has had a busy schedule following the death of his mother in Balmoral, Scotland on Thursday. He returned to London on Friday after engagements including his induction ceremony at St James’s Palace and addressing MPs and Lords at Westminster Hall, flying back to Edinburgh on Monday where he walked behind the Queen’s coffin and later stood atop it of in a vigil with him. brothers. At the accession board on Saturday, an irritated Charles had signaled to aides to move a pen case and pens that had gotten in his way as he signed documents. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our site and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. King Charles signals aide to remove pen as he signs oath – video There was some sympathy for the monarch as social media users reflected on his grief at the loss of his mother and his hectic schedule since her death. Times story correspondent Jack Blackburn tweeted: “I think it’s possible to read too much into a bit of whining from someone who has been traveling non-stop since his mother died last Thursday.” Former political editor of the Jewish Chronicle, Marcus Dysch said: “Watching the news last night I thought that as well as being sad, King Charles must be absolutely exhausted. He is in his 70s and flies almost non-stop across the country. Clearly he’s getting it. I hope in due course he will have the time he needs to deal with this traumatic period.” After his visit to Northern Ireland he returned to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday night where he will receive his mother’s coffin, which has been flown from Edinburgh accompanied by Princess Anne.
