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King Charles III’s fountain-pen outburst happened during a visitors’ book signing at Hillsborough Castle on September 13, 2022: the pen leaked ink onto his hand, and he complained before walking away. Royal commentator Robert Jobson called him “a bit snappy” and compared the moment to Prince Philip, but that was Jobson’s interpretation—not proof of what caused Charles’s reaction.
What happened at Hillsborough Castle
Charles and Camilla were visiting Northern Ireland when Charles signed the castle’s visitors’ book. He first entered the wrong date, checked it with an aide, and then the pen leaked ink onto his hand. Charles said, “Oh God I hate this (pen)!” Camilla observed, “Oh look, it’s going everywhere.” As Charles walked away, he said, “I can’t bear this bloody thing … every stinking time.” An aide removed the pen before Camilla signed. The Guardian reported the scene; ABC News also described the sequence.
How Robert Jobson explained the clip
In a September 15, 2022 report, PerthNow quoted Sunrise royal commentator Robert Jobson saying Charles had been “doing really brilliantly” less than a week into his reign, but seemed “a bit snappy” in the clip. Jobson said, “I just think he was a bit snappy but you remember he’s not only the Queen’s son, he’s Prince Philip’s son.” He added that he saw “a little bit of Prince Philip” in the moment and imagined Philip would have “gone absolutely potty” if the pen had failed. Jobson concluded: “Just give him a pen that works!” PerthNow’s report attributes these remarks to Jobson.
What the comparison does—and does not—establish
Jobson was offering commentary on a brief public moment. His comparison to Philip does not establish an inherited temperament, explain Charles’s private emotional state, or identify the reason for his frustration beyond the visible problem: ink from the pen had spread onto his hand. The clip itself cannot substantiate a broader claim about Charles’s character.
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The context around the signing
The incident followed another signing-related moment four days earlier at the Accession Council, when Charles gestured for aides to move a pen holder and pens from his way. It also came during the demanding public schedule after Queen Elizabeth II’s death. These events provide context, but they do not prove that grief or fatigue caused the Hillsborough Castle reaction. The Guardian’s account discusses the schedule and reactions to the clip.
What is known about the pen
The reports identify the immediate problem as a leaking pen, but do not name its make or model, explain the mechanical cause, or describe a repair. The documented story is about one signing and Jobson’s reaction to it—not evidence of a wider pattern of pen failures or royal temperament.
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