King Charles jokes about his ‘failing’ leaking pen disaster

King Charles can take a joke.

The 74-year-old monarch praised the “world-renowned” humor of Brits on Thursday while reflecting on his viral leaky pen mishap last September.

Charles and Queen Camilla attended a dinner at the Mansion House to recognize the City of London’s civic institutions and Livery Companies, as well at the city ancient and modern trade guilds.

During an address, Charles praised British citizens for channeling humor to overcome issues like the rise of artificial intelligence and climate change.

“The cherished well from which the sound of laughter can be heard — the healing well filled with a sense of humor laced with an invigorating dash of self-irony. This well flows liberally into all the others. The British sense of humor is world-renowned,” he said.

“It is not what we do. It is who we are. Our ability to laugh at ourselves is one of our great national characteristics. Just as well, you may say, given some of the vicissitudes I have faced with frustratingly failing fountain pens this past year,” he quipped to the enjoyment of the crowd.

Charles referenced the 2022 incident where he got frustrated by a dripping pen getting ink all over his hands at a signing ceremony in Northern Ireland.

First, he signed the wrong date on the document.

“Is it September the 12th?” his royal majesty asked an aide at the time, despite a calendar with the date sitting right in front of him. 

“Oh God, I’ve put the wrong date down,” he said after he declared it was the 13th.

Camilla then said to him rather sharply, “You signed the 12th earlier.”

Charles then got upset about the leaky pen.

“Oh God, I hate this,” he said, after handing the bad pen to his wife.

“I can’t bear this bloody thing! Every stinking time,” Charles told an aide as he and his wife attempted to clean the mess.

The humorous moment immediately went viral.