Prince Charles Laughs As Boris Johnson Battles Inverted Umbrella

Boris Johnson has made international headlines, but not for the reason you’d expect.

The U.K.’s Prime Minister sat next to Prince Charles on Thursday as they attended a ceremony to honor police officers who died in the line of duty. There was a sight drizzle and the Duke of Cornwall was huddled underneath a large black umbrella. Taking a cue from the prince, Johnson pulled out his own umbrella and opened it, before quickly offering it to Home Secretary Priti Patel, who was seated in the row behind him.

When she refused, the politician turned back around in his seat to await the rest of the ceremony.

The dreary weather and strong winds had other plans, though.

Johnson’s umbrella closed and he tried to open it again, but the wind blew it inside out. As he struggled to turn the device the right way, those seated around him, including Patel, Prince Charles and even a nearby security guard couldn’t help but laugh, bringing some levity to what would have otherwise been a solemn event.

While some reacted in anger to the clip, either haling the mishap as an example of Johnson’s incompetency or disrespect, others satirized it and compared him to the British comedian known as Mr. Bean.

CNN even posted a video clip, poking fun at the Prime Minister’s difficulty with the umbrella and the U.K.’s monarchy.

Reporting on the incident, CNN‘s John Bernman said, “Yes, the prime minister is bad at umbrellas, maybe even incompetent. But at least its elected incompetence, and that is something to be proud of. I guess.”