King Charles appeared to make light of his recent mishaps with pens by cracking a joke as he and Queen Consort Camilla signed a guest book during an engagement in Scotland today.
In recent weeks, His Majesty has gone viral due to several clips that have shown him lose his cool when it has come to signing several documents. The first came at the meeting of the Accession Council, where he was proclaimed King, when he grimaced after a pen tray got in the way of him signing a document and he beckoned an aide to move it. And the second came on a trip to Northern Ireland when a leaky pen left him agitated and he said: " "I can't bear this b****y thing ... every stinking time!"
During a visit to Dunfermline in Fife today, Charles and the Queen Consort were invited to sign another visitors book, with the King appearing to use his own pen.
And after handing it to Camilla, he appeared to reference the pen dramas by smiling and appearing to say: "These things are so temperamental."
Charles and Camilla's visit to Dunfermline was their first joint engagement together since the end of the royal mourning period following the death of the late Queen.
The King, who donned a kilt for the day, spoke as he formally conferred city status on the former town which was one of eight communities awarded the honour as part of the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
In a ceremony at Dunfermline City Chambers Charles said he had been "delighted" when the announcement of city status was made in May.
He spoke of his mother's "deep love for Scotland", describing it as "one of the foundations of her life".
The new King also spoke of the community, adding: "It is my hope that all those who live in, or who hail from, this very special place will feel a real sense of pride at this latest chapter in our rich history, and that this new distinction will not merely burnish the legacy of the past but will also brighten the prospect of our future.
“That would, I know, gladden my dear mother’s heart, as it certainly gladdens mine.”
After visiting Fife, the couple then headed to Edinburgh, for Charles' first official reception as monarch, which saw hundreds of people pack into Holyroodhouse.
The King and the Queen Consort met around 300 members of the British south-east Asian community, including Shahid Khan – a DJ better known as Naughty Boy, who also appeared on I’m A Celebrity last year.
He was one of the first guests to meet the King in the palace’s Great Gallery and he labelled Charles the "people’s King" after their conversation which touched on Khan's 68-year-old mother Zahida.
"My mum's in hospital at the moment and she said to tell the King he will always have a mum in her because she loves the royal family, and he said to send his love to her," said the former Prince's Trust bursary winner.
"It was nice because it’s human, and I really, really feel this King is like a people’s King. It's quite evident. And that’s what this country needs right now."
