Professional lip readers say that King Charles III was feeling pretty grumpy on the way to his coronation, apparently chastising Queen Camilla with the complaint that “we can never be on time.”
Though the King’s coronation on May 6th was a momentous and joyous occasion for the royal family, it seems the stress of the world’s attention on the event got to Charles—at least according to the Daily Mail‘s lip readers.
Lip Readers Agree Charles Was 'Frustrated' Before The Coronation
As the world waited for the coronation to start, some noticed that the vibes seemed a little negative in the live video of the King sitting in his coach alongside Queen Camilla. One fan wrote on Twitter, "Only Charles could be dour and grumpy on his coronation day." Until now, however, we had no way of knowing what he was saying while waiting outside of Westminster Abbey.
"I’m worried about time, I mean it’s been longer this time and, well, erm, I mean look! I know," King Charles is alleged to have said to Camilla in their carriage, according to Daily Mail lip reader Jacqui Press. Another professional lip reader told Sky News that he continued, "We can never be on time. Yes, I'm...this is a negative. There's always something."
Charles was apparently referring to the fact that Prince William, wife Kate, and their children George, Charlotte, and Louis had to that point still not arrived at Westminster Abbey for the ceremony, forcing the monarchs to wait outside. When the family did arrive they ended up having to join the King's procession through the church instead of going ahead of him, which was the original plan. It seems that the young family's lateness is a particular peeve of the newly-crowned King.
William And Kate Comment: 'What. A. Day.'
A video released on the Prince and Princess of Wales' official instagram soon after the coronation shows the family excitedly getting ready for the big day and traveling to Westminster Abbey, all smiles but certainly moving with some swiftness. The caption to the video reads, "What. A. Day. Thank you to everyone who made it happen #Coronation."
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By the time the family's carriage made it to the Abbey, most of the over 2,000 guests had been seated, leaving Charles and Camilla to cool their heels in a coach outside. According to the official order of service for the ceremony, the family were supposed to precede the King and Queen into the church: "Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales and Prince Louis of Wales arrive at the Great West Door and are conducted to their seats in the Lantern. All remain seated. Their Majesties The King and The Queen arrive at the West Gate. A fanfare is sounded. All stand." Instead, the Prince and Princess of Wales stood behind Charles and took their seats as he entered Westminster Abbey.
Any interfamily tension, however, seemed to have melted away by the time the post-coronation festivities began—the King, Queen, and other attending royals seemed to thoroughly enjoy the high-energy coronation concert with performances by Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Take That. Charles and Camilla seemed especially tickled when Muppet royalty Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog made a surprise appearance at the event with concert host and Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville:
Bonneville made the King laugh and groan in his opening monologue, in which the actor joked that "[Charles] himself is a painter, an artist…The artist formerly known as 'Prince'." Charles, well-known for the long time he waited to ascend to the throne—at 73, he was the oldest monarch at the start of his reign in all of British history—burst out laughing at the remark, then grimaced good-naturedly.
Lip reader Jacqui Press was even able to discern the King's true reaction to Bonneville's joke: "Very amusing," the monarch allegedly said just afterward.
