Prince Charles, Prince of Wales looks concerned as British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson's umbrella is blown inside-out at The National Memorial Arboretum on July 28, 2021 in Stafford, England.
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales looks concerned as British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson's umbrella is blown inside-out at The National Memorial Arboretum on July 28, 2021 in Stafford, England.
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
  • UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson brought some unintended levity to a somber event in Staffordshire.
  • Amid light rainfall, Johnson struggled with his umbrella, which blew inside-out.
  • Prince Charles, seated next to Johnson, laughed along with other high-ranking officials.
  • See more stories on Insider's business page.

It rains, on average, more than 150 days a year in London. But British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was no match for a light drizzle on Thursday.

The conservative prime minister brought some unintended levity to a somber event on a dreary day in Staffordshire when he publicly wrestled with an umbrella.

Seated next to Prince Charles, who was huddled under a large black umbrella, at a Wednesday ceremony honoring police who've died in the line of duty, Johnson decided he'd follow the prince's lead.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson laughs as his umbrella is blown inside-out.
Samir Hussein/Getty Images

After struggling to open his umbrella, the prime minister appeared to think twice and offered the contraption to Home Secretary Priti Patel, seated in the row behind him.

After Patel declined his offer, the umbrella suddenly collapsed. Johnson tried to re-open it only to have it blown inside-out by a gust of wind.

This caught Prince Charles' attention and he, Patel and others began laughing along with Johnson. A guard standing nearby struggled to suppress a smile.

Johnson's battle with the umbrella has been widely ridiculed in the British press. Some have compared him to comedian Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean character, best known for his clueless, bumbling persona.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's umbrella turns inside-out as he struggles to open it at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, Britain July 28, 2021.
Prince Charles looked mildly concerned for Johnson before laughing along with the prime minister as he wrestled with the umbrella.
Christopher Furlong/Reuters
Britain's Prince Charles looks on as Prime Minister Boris Johnson opens his umbrella at The National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas, Staffordshire, Britain July 28, 2021.
Ultimately, Johnson got control of the umbrella.
Christopher Furlong/Reuters
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