King makes light of Caribbean storm with umbrella quip
King makes light of Caribbean storm with umbrella quip
Hannah FurnessWed, November 4, 2026 at 9:47 AM UTC
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The King braves the elements during his visit to Antigua and Barbuda - Reuters/Aaron Chown
The King made a joke at his own expense as he hosted Commonwealth leaders at the end of his Caribbean trip, saying he would provide an “umbrella for you all”.
The King was caught in a tropical rain storm during the Antiguan leg of his trip, gesticulating and calling for an umbrella during a military ceremony, in footage which has gone around the world.
Delivering a speech at a final dinner at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, in which he hosted 84 dignitaries at Blue Waters hotel, he called the “family of nations” one of the “world’s more improbable organisations”, spanning some of the largest countries on Earth and some of the smallest.
“It is one of the few organisations able to unite countries famous for snow, countries famous for deserts, and, most of all – countries whose citizens are utterly convinced they enjoy perfect weather all year round.
“Although perhaps part of my role as head of the Commonwealth is to provide an umbrella for you all…!”
The joke was received with laughter in the dining hall, and a round of applause.
The King’s joke was met with laughter and applause by the attending heads of government in Antigua - Isabel Infantes /Getty Images
The King hosted Andy Burnham, the Prime Minister, as well as heads of government from around the Commonwealth.
Speaking about the welcome he and the Queen had received in Antigua and Barbuda and during the trip, His Majesty said: “We have been enormously touched by the kindness with which we have been received wherever we have gone.
“And I must say that, during my visit here, it has been a great pleasure to meet so many prime ministers – almost as many as I’ve had at home!”
‘We are here because we have chosen to be here’
In more serious moments, he touched on the importance of the Commonwealth.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we meet at a time when many of the institutions on which the world has long relied are under great strain, and when it is all too tempting for nations to retreat behind ever higher walls,” the King said.
“I cannot help feeling that such a world would be poorer, more fragile and, if I may say so, a good deal lonelier and more dangerous.
“Our Commonwealth, I think, offers another path. We are a family of fifty-six nations that span every inhabited continent and embrace the widest range of faiths, and, despite everything, care for one another.
“No treaty compels any of us to be here. We come because we choose to – and, looking around this room tonight, I find that a source of enormous encouragement and pride.”
The King and Queen welcomed 84 guests to the dinner one by one. He took so much time talking to each one, asking questions and sharing memories, that senior aides were tasked with ushering dignitaries along to greet the Queen and move to a drinks reception.
The King wore black tie, miniature medals, the order of merit neck order and the garter star. The Queen wore a white marocain evening dress by Anna Valentine, embroidered with a dagger log, the national flower of Antigua.
The King and Queen meet Shirley Botchwey, the Commonwealth secretary-general, and Gaston Browne, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda - Isabel Infantes/Reuters
As the King and Queen entered the reception, they appeared to ask for the overhead fans to be turned off.
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Upon entering, they met Gaston Browne, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, and his wife Maria Browne, along with Shirley Botchwey, the Commonwealth secretary-general, and her husband Cyril Laryea.
Andy Burnham and his wife, Marie-France van Heel, who wore a floor-length sparkling gown, were among the guests.
The King had also invited Dr Carla Barnett, secretary-general of Caribbean Community (Caricom), the leading reparations campaign group in the Caribbean.
The King sat between the prime minister of Tuvalu and the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda. The Queen hosted another table, with the prime minister of the Bahamas on one side and the Australian prime minister on the other.
Bespoke cocktail served
The 84 guests were seated around nine round tables, with the heads of government having gold goblets, owned by the Commonwealth Secretariat, to drink from.
The menu consisted of local ingredients from Antigua and Barbuda.
A salad of avocado, green beans, quail eggs and cherry tomatoes with a pesto dressing was followed by papillote of Mahi-Mahi, a locally caught fish, with seasonal vegetables.
An Antiguan black pineapple tarte tatin followed, with hand-painted chocolates to finish.
The wine list consisted of Camel Valley English sparkling wine, which holds a double royal warrant, and wines from New Zealand, Australia, and Canada.
A bespoke cocktail, called the “Commonwealth 56” – a twist on the French 75 – was served, made from Antilles Stillhouse Pink Sorrel Hibiscus Gin made on the hills above the English Harbour in Antigua, and a sugar syrup from Buckingham Palace honey.
It follows a new palace tradition introduced in the King’s reign for state visits in the UK, in which an in-house mixologist creates a bespoke cocktail reflecting the traditions of the visiting country.
The King talking with Marie France Van Heel, the Prime Minister’s wife - Kin Cheung-Pool/Getty Images
Each table had a woven-bead centrepiece, made by a local artist who goes by the name of Sexy Sue.
Upon them were white ceramic pieces by Antiguan artist Colin “Wanga” Martin, inspired by the sugar mills of the island and the leaves of the Antiguan black pineapple.
The napkins were woven in the national fabric of Antigua and Barbuda, and the bread baskets were made by the Industrial Workshop for the Blind in Saint John’s.
The King and Queen’s guests were welcomed to the dinner by music from steel pan players from Hells Gate Steel Orchestra, one of the world’s oldest continuously operating steel bands, founded in 1945.
A string ensemble from the Antigua and Barbuda Youth Symphony Orchestra also performed.
During dinner, a trio of musicians led by Antiguan pianist Khadijah Simon played, followed by two pipers from the National Piping Centre of Scotland and a drummer to bring the evening to a close.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
