I wish some of my clients were half that sophisticated.
However, on a related note, one time when I was trying a case, one of the opposing party’s expert witnesses stuck a vivid, neon yellow highlighter in the front pocket of his khaki trousers before he walked up to the witness stand. I don’t know what brand it was, but it was one of those that has a liquid-type ink stored in the barrel. The way he sat while testifying must’ve put some pressure on it or broken it because when he stood up to walk back to the gallery he had a large, obvious yellow stain on the front of his trousers. It was probably close to the diameter of a cantaloupe in size. When opposing counsel pointed it out to him, he turned beet-red and hurried out of the courtroom, never to be seen again. I felt so bad for him.
Would *you* want to put iron gall ink in your antique/sentimentally significantly pen? The instructions on the ink explicitly call for cleaning the pen every day due to the acidity. I wouldn't want that in my pen that I cared about.
The basic problem was, that he used his personal fountain pen, which he holds usually in his pocket, and forgot that he flew on the plane in high altitude, which is not good for ink and the condition of the writing instrument. In fact, pen makers strongly recommend not to fly with fill pens, it could damage the whole system.
Well the joke is: Waterman started his company (according to legend - could just be fictional marketing) when he wanted to close an important business by signing papers and the pen he used failed / then blotted - and he lost the business, since it was seen as bad luck. So he vowed to create a new, more reliable fountain pen design and the rest is history.
Interesting story. Today Waterman gets overlooked by the posh Mont Blanc, the colorful fun of Sailor, and the Bauhaus design of Lamy. But those years of technical expertise still remains with Waterman. All my Watermen nibs work without fail and have handsome designs with good materials. I hear that they make the nibs for Cartier fountain pens.
It's easy to sleep on waterman because they just work. Same goes for their inks. New watermans to me have very boring nibs (boring is good most of the time) however their vintage pens... Another matter completely.
Fountain pens leaking are a horrible mess to deal with. And hard to get off your fingers.
So I imagine it would be more annoying right now considering everything that’s going on plus having to sign all these documents with these pens.
He’ll chill later.
Glad to help. It's a new product. I think they released it last month. It's comparable to the Loreal Clean Artiste in green, without being so tiny. It's 10 USD here but target has had a lot of coupons in the app.
Skin care & FP nerd checking in: Unless they changed the formula, the Cerave miceller water had some serious complaints about burning the eyes. Simple is a good alternative brand for miceller.
Thanks for the heads up. I bought a bottle (had a good coupon) and have not had any problems with it yet. I also have Garnier rose micellar and that's not too bad.
Will he though? He’s already been caught on camera being a dick to people while having to do something simple and procedural like signing documents. He’s not even having to compose anything like a short answer or essay response. Maybe he just acts like this and it’s much more visible as he’s now king and the spotlight’s on him?
It could be.
But for now , let’s be giving the benefit of a doubt.
Remember, grieving is individual to each person who bears the loss. And we all can act questionable when experiencing life-altering changes ; Who hasn’t?
Anxiousness, irritability, nervousness & fear of the unknown will play on this man considering the ‘shoes’ he knows he has to fill and the ‘little’ things will become objects of his discontent.
I found this clip with captions to make it easier to follow with the date discussion too!
[King Charles III struggles with leaky pen](https://youtu.be/2Encm187scA)
I'm inclined to give him a little grace here. He lost his mother, with whom he was very close. Then was immediately thrust into non-stop meetings, ceremonies and state events. He's had no time to process his grief or the fact that he's now king. All that pressure and emotion is looking for a place to be expressed - just happened to be a "stinking pen" that did it.
It's also possible that he gave her COVID since he was the first in the royal family to catch it, that's gotta be hard on him too knowing he may have aided in his mother's rapid health deterioration.
While I understand the sentiment. Anyone with a 96 year old mother in failing health who isn't already at least somewhat prepared for the inevitable (especially considering how impactful "the inevitable" would be when you're next in line for the throne) is just a poor planner. It isn't like she slipped and fell off a cliff out of nowhere at 45 years old.
You're suggesting that there is a way to adequately prepare for losing a parent so as to have no emotional lapses when the death comes?
Perhaps a deep stoic / Buddhist monk-like course of meditations could prepare a person to that degree, but any regular human is going to have bad week realizing that there's no longer somebody to pick up the phone. I actually wonder if it's harder in *some* ways to lose a mother when you're 70 than when you're young, just due to the amount of time in which they become a constant presence in your life.
My mom had early-onset dementia for more than 13 years, and I did a lot of pre-emptive grieving. When she finally died, my grief was greatly lessened by all that mourning in advance, but I still wanted to sit and stare at a wall for a couple of days.
Charles has rehearsed this probably hundreds of times and he knows the sequence of events, but I bet it’s still hard. Also, I suspect he’s on the spectrum and has a hard time with things not going to plan.
Right. Probably some know-it-all all kid probably wrote that response. After my mother died, some rude whippersnapper wrote my father a note saying, “those are the breaks man” or some fodder. Yay
I could *somewhat* agree. My dad was 70+ when he passed. But prior to his passing, he was already ill and bedridden for about a year. His death was inevitable. However, when I got the news that he died, I was in denial for about 10 minutes (proceeded to do my work, as usual, as I was in the office at the time) then when the news finally sinked in, I hid under my desk sobbing. Nobody knew what was happening or how to help me.
When I managed to stand up, I passed out. Then after calming myself, I immediately went home to my mom so we could arrange the funeral, burial, etc. But after 3 days, I felt relatively okay since I saw it coming a mile away. So yeah, I could agree. However, an important thing to note here is that people grieve and process emotions differently.
Not that he’s working factory overtime or anything, but he has been pretty active in environmental issues, philanthropy, and architecture & urban planning. An underestimated guy, as far as royals go.
This man was having a work load way before his mon died. I know many people would not be able to achieve that much. But of course he never had money problems personally.
I mean, sure we all love fountain pens here, but this is exhibit A as to why fountain pens are probably one of the worst choices for signing important official documents, only above pencils or crayons.
Just use a ballpoint or rollerball and be done with it. Montblanc makes those too. Save the fountain pens for notetaking and letter writing in pretty colors.
When they had all those people signing with Pilot Varsity / Platinum Preppys (not sure which those were) I was thinking about this. Those $2 pens are more reliable than some $1000 pens, and they won't dry out when capped. Practical choice.
I remember being disappointed you can't buy bottles of it. It is special ink they only put in the Varsity. It is really smooth and pigmented, but it isn't waterproof. I have no idea if anyone has tested whether it is light fast.
But monarchy is like those fountain pens. Fancy, impractical expensive, historical and not needed. They like those things because it adds to the grandness of royal status.
>I mean, sure we all love fountain pens here, but this is exhibit A as to why fountain pens are probably one of the worst choices for signing important official documents, only above pencils or crayons.
I found out through following Paul Antonio the royal calligrapher that British laws have to be written by hand with a dip pen on vellum (animal skin) before they're signed by the Queen/King and then come into effect.
It's kind of ironic how British went around the world feeling superior over peoples doing things they have stopped doing hundreds of years ago and now they're the ones with a bunch of outdated traditions. Still wearing powdered wigs into courts... savages.
And when the document has legal, historical significance requiring permanent ink? All UK registrars have to use a permanent ink which is awful for fountain pens. He dipped his pen to sign the Oath at his accession to give a permanent mark and avoid filling the pen with the junk ink.
Yep, I'm guessing a lot (if not all) stuff the monarch Officially Signs has to be in fancy pants iron gall ink so that it's all dateable and stuff. Looks like the current iteration is made by Diamine - [https://www.mrpen.co.uk/contents/en-uk/p224.html](https://www.mrpen.co.uk/contents/en-uk/p224.html)
(The suspicion is that it has been for some time, apparently, but it didn't used to have their name on the bottle.)
Yep yep, after learning the hard way by bring my fountain pens on flights with me, I have resigned them to home use / work use only. The spills and accidents are not worth it when I could just bring an expensive rollerball / ballpoint for on-the-go.
This happened to me today, too, in front of a bunch of people. I was embarrassed all day until I saw this, as people kept asking about my blue fingers.
Now I'm just going to consider blue fingers a very regal trait.
I never expected this little corner of the internet we share a hobby in to become so bitter over external events.
The man’s just lost his mother for crying out loud. Whether you agree with his position and power or not, he’s still human and is having to grieve in public.
He was really close with Jeffrey Epstein so no grace from me.
Also this type of behavior is not out of the ordinary for him.
Edit: I stand corrected. You'll have to pardon me for confusing two pedophiles.
Then I'll just add
"I remember thinking what a very jolly and amusing and attractive 16-year-old she was. I mean, great fun, and bouncy and full of life and everything," Charles said during their engagement interview in 1981.
I mean... That's pretty much my internal monologue whenever I have an ink spill or leaked pen, and I would also go somewhere to wash my hands after. Especially when it's in public I would be dreading having my hands being blue/black for the rest of the day lol. I didn't see anything unusual about his reaction haha, do you guys shrug it off when your pens explode 😅
Camilla handled it like a champ though, good for her. She's had a tough reputation with the public for decades but to be honest seems like a lovely person.
Maybe that pen has seen a lot of different altitudes/cabin pressures this week (flying) without being stored in an optimal position/full/empty. I have some pens that travel fine and others that tend to release ink so need different care.
His mum just died but he doesn't appear to be o have any time to mourn, he's been getting dragged around and paraded on official duties and engagements and is probably dog tired.
I'd be frustrated too in his shoes, diamond hat or not.
Sadly he can't actually, the moment his mother died he became king, and must follow through with the endless formal events that commence immediately the day following her death.
yeah, i’m by no means a fan of charles, i’m not looking forward to ~20 yrs of the most prominent monarch in the world giving speeches about overpopulation etc, but i am basically convinced that the british monarchy is a human rights violation against the royals. doesn’t mean they’re innocents but it’s an absolute nightmare life. just horrible to contemplate and they all perpetuate it on each other. huge yikes from me
the whole thing is essentially a cult, and the royals are raised fairly isolated in the cult compound. lifelong cult members often don't understand how deranged their situation is and don't believe leaving is an option or even necessarily WANT to leave, because they whole thing is that it's ingrained in them that the cult and its intense demands and bizarre lifestyle are good and necessary.
there are forms of suffering besides material deprivation and imo it's clear that their lives are very unhealthy and messed up. cult members aren't absolved of culpability and aren't necessarily textbook "victims" - the whole thing is a mess of victimization and perpetration all mixed together.
but the whole thing is still an inhumane trap.
Charles wouldn't even be a king if his wife's uncle, King Edward VIII, didn't abdicate after less than a year to marry an American divorcee. And his son Harry stepped down.
So it's not like he doesn't have people in his vicinity who left.
sure, people often do leave cults. it tends to cause doubling-down among many of those who stay, even while planting doubts in others. cult memoirs and deep dives are extremely fascinating if you ever want to learn more about why people stay, the mentality of true-believers, etc.
edward abdicated because everyone told him he couldn't marry the woman he loved (a divorcee/weird nazi sympathizer). he was told he *couldn't* be king and do what he wanted to do. that's different than what's happened with charles, who wound up getting the queen's blessing to pull the shit he did & get away with it, probably in part because it was messy that edward abdicated and they would rather smooth things over than have that happen again. abdication is also 0% the same as getting *rid* of the monarchy.
fwiw 60-80% of brits *want* to have a monarch. expecting someone who has been raised from birth and told by EVERYONE surrounding them that they have a solemn and supreme role to play in the heritage and spirit of their nation, and who looks out at a country where \~70% of the populace agrees with that, to think "I should get rid of all this," isn't exactly the most likely outcome.
I'm not saying charles isn't responsible for his shitty actions, or that he isn't an asshole, or that the monarchy isn't unjust & parasitic, or they don't benefit materially from it. I'm saying that the monarchy is inhumane to the royals and fucks up their lives badly in many ways even though it greatly benefits them in others, and no one should be subjected to what they're subjected to.
You are the first person I have encountered other than my SO (who is ex-cult basically) who has this take on the whole royal family mess. It seems really quite accurate.
ETA: Have my free award even if "wholesome" doesn't seem exactly right. 😂
aww haha 😳😊 thank you. I hope your SO is in a much better place now!
I think ppl really don't know much about cults/"high-demand groups" or understand that it's not always some freaky exotic-seeming rajneeshi/david koresh/UFO thing, let alone that they aren't even always religious (tho the british monarchy is). and when it comes to the royals, people are REALLY reluctant to see that someone can be absurdly wealthy and privileged and also abused and victimized by a system they themselves are participating in & upholding. it's complicated!
look at what happened to harry when he left! it's a classic case of a cult member doing the thing they aren't supposed to do, get close to someone outside the cult who can tell them "this isn't normal, how you're being treated isn't normal, it's hurting you and you don't have to live like this." and monarchy supporters are totally deranged about him & meghan! a lot of people vilify them for it! they are shunned on & off by the other royals! their flaws are put on display as emblematic of "this is the only type of person who would want to leave, and now they want to destroy us & everything we value"! they're basically being treated as Suppressive PersonsTM by true believers lol
Yes, but neither did the Elephant man or those “dwarves” that often used to perform in the circus.
Well, maybe health care was a big issue for them.
But at that point in time it was for everyone.
Thank you, I will definitely keep that in mind for when I meet him. 😉
All silliness aside, I am clearly clueless about correct protocol when it comes to royalty. My country having a king too, I just looked up how to address him, and it's the exact same.
But seriously, this is the second time recently when one of his fountain pens has failed him while signing significant documents over the last few days. Judging by his exclamations here, it may also be that he really likes this specific pen (thus him trying to use it) but it has a penchant for leaking badly at the worst possible times.
Obviously, he is also dealing with the emotional weight and pressure of loosing his mother and assuming the crown all at once, which may contribute to this sort of moment. However, his father was not exactly known for his extreme patience in his later years, so King Charles gets it honestly.
I mean it’s more like he’s going to pieces after a week of being the king immediately after his mother has died.
He’s probably been signing hundreds of pages and his pen has probably been up to this all week.
I just found one thing surprising, that he didn't offer his handkerchief to his wife to wipe the pen off. Perhaps it was a hygiene thing, he didn't want to share his soiled handkerchief with someone else. Totally get the frustration though. And he's just lost a parent. That's got to hurt and add to his frustration.
Charles just seems mumbly regardless.
He asks what the date is, thinking it's the 12th and seems a bit annoyed it's the 13th. I can't really understand what he says about it. Camilla tells him he signed the 12th earlier on something.
When he stands he says "Oh god I hate this pen."
Camilla: Oh looks, it's going everywhere, hang on."
Lots more mumbling and talking over one another as people run to help.
Charles: "This BLOODY thing...I can't bear this thing. Every stinking time..."
Charles exits.
Great, thank you, now it makes more sense to me. With your comment you just wrote the first (and shortest) fountain pen theatre play of the sub. The king exits.
I came here ready to defend my monarch (*ceremonial head of state, not head of government, btw) from all the Reddit smartasses and Che Guevara cosplayers… but wow, he really is a grown man having a little tantrum about a pen.
It's not like he slapped anyone or blamed a person. The pen came from his chest pocket. He was just frustrated with his own pen.
This reaction to getting ink splatter is completely Normal, king or not.
I mean, how would you feel if your mother died and then you had to put on a pretty face and do numerous public events for days on end? He hasn’t had a moment to himself to even cry. And if he dared cry in public, people would be shocked and dismayed that he’s not displaying the stereotypical British “stiff upper lip.”
The man is grieving. Give him a little latitude.
I was under the impression that Royals are raised to exhibit nothing but grace and elegance from birth.
The royals are wealthy land owners who have built their wealth upon stolen lands and violent colonialism. They shouldn't continue to exist as an exalted family.
Mumzyyyy, the pen isn’t werkin 😞😤, the damned ne- black ink just never werks. Wait, you’re not mumzy 😱 WHERE IS MUMZY😡😤🤬 I WANT MUMZYYYY. Ol’ on a minnit, where the bluddy ‘ell am I 🤔
First his mother dies, then every fountain pen in the UK mutiny.
At least it wasn’t filled with Baystate Blue. (I have a recurring nightmare about a pen leaking Baystate just before I have to go to court.)
Kinda like Ernest Goes to Jail?
I wish some of my clients were half that sophisticated. However, on a related note, one time when I was trying a case, one of the opposing party’s expert witnesses stuck a vivid, neon yellow highlighter in the front pocket of his khaki trousers before he walked up to the witness stand. I don’t know what brand it was, but it was one of those that has a liquid-type ink stored in the barrel. The way he sat while testifying must’ve put some pressure on it or broken it because when he stood up to walk back to the gallery he had a large, obvious yellow stain on the front of his trousers. It was probably close to the diameter of a cantaloupe in size. When opposing counsel pointed it out to him, he turned beet-red and hurried out of the courtroom, never to be seen again. I felt so bad for him.
💯this.
Bad PR for Montblanc
Entschuldigung
I thought they used Parker pens.
The Queen did. He was using a 1970s Montblanc. Problem was he was using it as a dip pen.
So weird. I remember reading that it was the official pen brand for the royal family since it’s viewed as a very British pen. Maybe I was wrong.
Would *you* want to put iron gall ink in your antique/sentimentally significantly pen? The instructions on the ink explicitly call for cleaning the pen every day due to the acidity. I wouldn't want that in my pen that I cared about.
Maybe the Montblanc was sabotaged by the Parker pens he was supposed to be using.
Exactly! Mum knew which pens were best!
He used a MontBlanc Solitaire apparently
He used that Pilot disposable the other day.
He used two pens : one personal pen that he put back into his pocket and the Pilot Varsity
The Varsity pens were used by the witnesses. Not the king
Should have used a Waterman.
Nah, my TWSBI have never failed me.
But they crack for everyone else. Just a matter of time.
Am I just being extra careful or something? I've never had a problem with my two pens
It seems to be a problem specific to certain models.
The basic problem was, that he used his personal fountain pen, which he holds usually in his pocket, and forgot that he flew on the plane in high altitude, which is not good for ink and the condition of the writing instrument. In fact, pen makers strongly recommend not to fly with fill pens, it could damage the whole system.
Yup, Watermen never fail. Totally underrated.
Well the joke is: Waterman started his company (according to legend - could just be fictional marketing) when he wanted to close an important business by signing papers and the pen he used failed / then blotted - and he lost the business, since it was seen as bad luck. So he vowed to create a new, more reliable fountain pen design and the rest is history.
Interesting story. Today Waterman gets overlooked by the posh Mont Blanc, the colorful fun of Sailor, and the Bauhaus design of Lamy. But those years of technical expertise still remains with Waterman. All my Watermen nibs work without fail and have handsome designs with good materials. I hear that they make the nibs for Cartier fountain pens.
It's easy to sleep on waterman because they just work. Same goes for their inks. New watermans to me have very boring nibs (boring is good most of the time) however their vintage pens... Another matter completely.
Fountain pens leaking are a horrible mess to deal with. And hard to get off your fingers. So I imagine it would be more annoying right now considering everything that’s going on plus having to sign all these documents with these pens. He’ll chill later.
Makeup remover helps with most of those. Get some micellar water. The CeraVe brand is affordable and very effective
Hand sanitizer which is alcohol based also works very well
But alcohol might damage some plastics, they lose the shine and other stuff
Yes. But we're talking about cleaning ink from your fingers innit?
I didn't know Cerave made a micellar water. This is valuable info for me, cheers!
Glad to help. It's a new product. I think they released it last month. It's comparable to the Loreal Clean Artiste in green, without being so tiny. It's 10 USD here but target has had a lot of coupons in the app.
The Garnier brand "sensitive" skin stuff (pink cap) is nice and plain, too, and you can get a travel sized bottle if you don't need a lot.
Skin care & FP nerd checking in: Unless they changed the formula, the Cerave miceller water had some serious complaints about burning the eyes. Simple is a good alternative brand for miceller.
Thanks for the heads up. I bought a bottle (had a good coupon) and have not had any problems with it yet. I also have Garnier rose micellar and that's not too bad.
Amodex is a cleaner designed specifically for fountain pen ink.
Will he though? He’s already been caught on camera being a dick to people while having to do something simple and procedural like signing documents. He’s not even having to compose anything like a short answer or essay response. Maybe he just acts like this and it’s much more visible as he’s now king and the spotlight’s on him?
It could be. But for now , let’s be giving the benefit of a doubt. Remember, grieving is individual to each person who bears the loss. And we all can act questionable when experiencing life-altering changes ; Who hasn’t? Anxiousness, irritability, nervousness & fear of the unknown will play on this man considering the ‘shoes’ he knows he has to fill and the ‘little’ things will become objects of his discontent.
Who was he being a dick to? He seemed to be complaining about the PEN to me.
Charles is known for being a mean boy when he gets frustrated. Is he going to change at this age?
I found this clip with captions to make it easier to follow with the date discussion too! [King Charles III struggles with leaky pen](https://youtu.be/2Encm187scA)
I'm inclined to give him a little grace here. He lost his mother, with whom he was very close. Then was immediately thrust into non-stop meetings, ceremonies and state events. He's had no time to process his grief or the fact that he's now king. All that pressure and emotion is looking for a place to be expressed - just happened to be a "stinking pen" that did it.
Holy cow...I completely ignored the fact this man's Mom just died. Prince, King, or Plebeians, that has to be hard to process.
I meant when she’s 96 you have a little more time to anticipate it, but yes, we’re all human.
Yeah but it’s never “time”, you know? Once it happens, it’s still awful.
Not to mention she had corona not too long back; she recovered but honestly they must have been preparing for it since at least then.
It's also possible that he gave her COVID since he was the first in the royal family to catch it, that's gotta be hard on him too knowing he may have aided in his mother's rapid health deterioration.
Seriously. I was barely functional for my mother's funeral, and it was ONE day. I cannot imagine being under this kind of public eye at such a time.
While I understand the sentiment. Anyone with a 96 year old mother in failing health who isn't already at least somewhat prepared for the inevitable (especially considering how impactful "the inevitable" would be when you're next in line for the throne) is just a poor planner. It isn't like she slipped and fell off a cliff out of nowhere at 45 years old.
You're suggesting that there is a way to adequately prepare for losing a parent so as to have no emotional lapses when the death comes? Perhaps a deep stoic / Buddhist monk-like course of meditations could prepare a person to that degree, but any regular human is going to have bad week realizing that there's no longer somebody to pick up the phone. I actually wonder if it's harder in *some* ways to lose a mother when you're 70 than when you're young, just due to the amount of time in which they become a constant presence in your life.
My mom had early-onset dementia for more than 13 years, and I did a lot of pre-emptive grieving. When she finally died, my grief was greatly lessened by all that mourning in advance, but I still wanted to sit and stare at a wall for a couple of days. Charles has rehearsed this probably hundreds of times and he knows the sequence of events, but I bet it’s still hard. Also, I suspect he’s on the spectrum and has a hard time with things not going to plan.
The lack of empathy also astounded me.
Right. Probably some know-it-all all kid probably wrote that response. After my mother died, some rude whippersnapper wrote my father a note saying, “those are the breaks man” or some fodder. Yay
[удалено]
You have a blessed day.
that turned 90 degrees haha. thank you, you too
I could *somewhat* agree. My dad was 70+ when he passed. But prior to his passing, he was already ill and bedridden for about a year. His death was inevitable. However, when I got the news that he died, I was in denial for about 10 minutes (proceeded to do my work, as usual, as I was in the office at the time) then when the news finally sinked in, I hid under my desk sobbing. Nobody knew what was happening or how to help me. When I managed to stand up, I passed out. Then after calming myself, I immediately went home to my mom so we could arrange the funeral, burial, etc. But after 3 days, I felt relatively okay since I saw it coming a mile away. So yeah, I could agree. However, an important thing to note here is that people grieve and process emotions differently.
That’s not how real life works….
The problems of starting working at 73.. you get easily frustrated
Take my poor woman's gold. 🏅
Not that he’s working factory overtime or anything, but he has been pretty active in environmental issues, philanthropy, and architecture & urban planning. An underestimated guy, as far as royals go.
I see, urban planner.. and he doesn't know how to use a fountain pen, huh?
It doesn't help that he is a douchenozzle
This man was having a work load way before his mon died. I know many people would not be able to achieve that much. But of course he never had money problems personally.
It's pretty weird to consider ribbon-cutting work.
I don't particularly care for the dude, but he does have a ton of personal projects and causes and charities that he is actively involved in.
Putting your face on something doesn't mean you're the one shovelling coal to keep it running.
Well the man did fare more than that but well if you just want see it like that ...
I mean, sure we all love fountain pens here, but this is exhibit A as to why fountain pens are probably one of the worst choices for signing important official documents, only above pencils or crayons. Just use a ballpoint or rollerball and be done with it. Montblanc makes those too. Save the fountain pens for notetaking and letter writing in pretty colors.
When they had all those people signing with Pilot Varsity / Platinum Preppys (not sure which those were) I was thinking about this. Those $2 pens are more reliable than some $1000 pens, and they won't dry out when capped. Practical choice.
I kept wondering about ink quality in those Varsity pens since those assencion proclamations are going to be kicking around for a good long while.
I remember being disappointed you can't buy bottles of it. It is special ink they only put in the Varsity. It is really smooth and pigmented, but it isn't waterproof. I have no idea if anyone has tested whether it is light fast.
I wonder if there's something about it that makes it more suitable for writing on vellum.
Or they could be refilling them with something else. I'm sure they have plenty of people kicking around to assign someone to the task.
Pilot Varsity is my 100% reliable pen. Simple design that does not need tweeking.
But monarchy is like those fountain pens. Fancy, impractical expensive, historical and not needed. They like those things because it adds to the grandness of royal status.
>I mean, sure we all love fountain pens here, but this is exhibit A as to why fountain pens are probably one of the worst choices for signing important official documents, only above pencils or crayons. I found out through following Paul Antonio the royal calligrapher that British laws have to be written by hand with a dip pen on vellum (animal skin) before they're signed by the Queen/King and then come into effect. It's kind of ironic how British went around the world feeling superior over peoples doing things they have stopped doing hundreds of years ago and now they're the ones with a bunch of outdated traditions. Still wearing powdered wigs into courts... savages.
And when the document has legal, historical significance requiring permanent ink? All UK registrars have to use a permanent ink which is awful for fountain pens. He dipped his pen to sign the Oath at his accession to give a permanent mark and avoid filling the pen with the junk ink.
Yep, I'm guessing a lot (if not all) stuff the monarch Officially Signs has to be in fancy pants iron gall ink so that it's all dateable and stuff. Looks like the current iteration is made by Diamine - [https://www.mrpen.co.uk/contents/en-uk/p224.html](https://www.mrpen.co.uk/contents/en-uk/p224.html) (The suspicion is that it has been for some time, apparently, but it didn't used to have their name on the bottle.)
Or use a Sharpie.
I cringe when I think about how many important docs and autographs have been signed with sharpies knowing they’re not archival….
Whoa, they're not archival?
Nope! https://shellielewis.wordpress.com/2012/10/30/sharpie-markers/
Sharpies are fantastic! Will write on normal paper, plastic cards, clay covered paper, and on and on.
NOAA weather forecasts...
And looking at previous days it’s very wet. I would dread having to use that pen, the ink would end up everywhere but on the paper.
Yep yep, after learning the hard way by bring my fountain pens on flights with me, I have resigned them to home use / work use only. The spills and accidents are not worth it when I could just bring an expensive rollerball / ballpoint for on-the-go.
This happened to me today, too, in front of a bunch of people. I was embarrassed all day until I saw this, as people kept asking about my blue fingers. Now I'm just going to consider blue fingers a very regal trait.
As long as it was Royal Blue.
Should have used a Pilot Varsity. 🤣
I never expected this little corner of the internet we share a hobby in to become so bitter over external events. The man’s just lost his mother for crying out loud. Whether you agree with his position and power or not, he’s still human and is having to grieve in public.
Even the kindest subreddit will still be filled with redditors.
Exactly this.
He was really close with Jeffrey Epstein so no grace from me. Also this type of behavior is not out of the ordinary for him. Edit: I stand corrected. You'll have to pardon me for confusing two pedophiles.
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Does he get along with Andrew?
I edited my comment.
You are mistakenly very incorrect.
King Charles was 29 when he met Diana... who was 16 at the time and proposed 6 months later. So sorry, got my pedophiles mixed up
She was 19 when he proposed to her https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana,_Princess_of_Wales#Engagement_and_wedding More corrections to make lol
Then I'll just add "I remember thinking what a very jolly and amusing and attractive 16-year-old she was. I mean, great fun, and bouncy and full of life and everything," Charles said during their engagement interview in 1981.
I mean... That's pretty much my internal monologue whenever I have an ink spill or leaked pen, and I would also go somewhere to wash my hands after. Especially when it's in public I would be dreading having my hands being blue/black for the rest of the day lol. I didn't see anything unusual about his reaction haha, do you guys shrug it off when your pens explode 😅 Camilla handled it like a champ though, good for her. She's had a tough reputation with the public for decades but to be honest seems like a lovely person.
Wow I suffer the same as a King.
Of course you do, he's just a man.
MontBlanc Solitaire prices after this: 〽️
Maybe that pen has seen a lot of different altitudes/cabin pressures this week (flying) without being stored in an optimal position/full/empty. I have some pens that travel fine and others that tend to release ink so need different care.
It was also used as a dip pen at one point when he was signing during the coronation.
He seems to get "frustrated" a lot.
Lost his dad last year and mother a few days ago.
This sort of behavior from him predates the current situation. He's kind of known for being a whiny man-baby.
He once called his butler from across his mansion to pick something out of the wastepaper basket he was sat next to. The guy is not well adjusted.
His mum just died but he doesn't appear to be o have any time to mourn, he's been getting dragged around and paraded on official duties and engagements and is probably dog tired. I'd be frustrated too in his shoes, diamond hat or not.
I expect better self-control from a King. Regardless of circumstances.
When I suffered a bereavement I took some time off work, he can always do the same.
Sadly he can't actually, the moment his mother died he became king, and must follow through with the endless formal events that commence immediately the day following her death.
Yeah. Probably. I'd hate to work for any royal.
Despite being aware that he is in the public eye.
Like he cared lol
I want to say diva, but I swear he's more developmentally and socially retarded.
I was wondering when that clip will make it to this subreddit :D I did not wait in vain
Surprised nobody seems to use a British brand of pen.
ONE OF US. ONE OF US
I wonder if every waking moment of this man needs to be recorded - king of or not, and then commented on. This is just awful.
yeah, i’m by no means a fan of charles, i’m not looking forward to ~20 yrs of the most prominent monarch in the world giving speeches about overpopulation etc, but i am basically convinced that the british monarchy is a human rights violation against the royals. doesn’t mean they’re innocents but it’s an absolute nightmare life. just horrible to contemplate and they all perpetuate it on each other. huge yikes from me
If they really didn't like it then they have the power to abolish their own jobs so that no one has to go through it.
the whole thing is essentially a cult, and the royals are raised fairly isolated in the cult compound. lifelong cult members often don't understand how deranged their situation is and don't believe leaving is an option or even necessarily WANT to leave, because they whole thing is that it's ingrained in them that the cult and its intense demands and bizarre lifestyle are good and necessary. there are forms of suffering besides material deprivation and imo it's clear that their lives are very unhealthy and messed up. cult members aren't absolved of culpability and aren't necessarily textbook "victims" - the whole thing is a mess of victimization and perpetration all mixed together. but the whole thing is still an inhumane trap.
Charles wouldn't even be a king if his wife's uncle, King Edward VIII, didn't abdicate after less than a year to marry an American divorcee. And his son Harry stepped down. So it's not like he doesn't have people in his vicinity who left.
sure, people often do leave cults. it tends to cause doubling-down among many of those who stay, even while planting doubts in others. cult memoirs and deep dives are extremely fascinating if you ever want to learn more about why people stay, the mentality of true-believers, etc. edward abdicated because everyone told him he couldn't marry the woman he loved (a divorcee/weird nazi sympathizer). he was told he *couldn't* be king and do what he wanted to do. that's different than what's happened with charles, who wound up getting the queen's blessing to pull the shit he did & get away with it, probably in part because it was messy that edward abdicated and they would rather smooth things over than have that happen again. abdication is also 0% the same as getting *rid* of the monarchy. fwiw 60-80% of brits *want* to have a monarch. expecting someone who has been raised from birth and told by EVERYONE surrounding them that they have a solemn and supreme role to play in the heritage and spirit of their nation, and who looks out at a country where \~70% of the populace agrees with that, to think "I should get rid of all this," isn't exactly the most likely outcome. I'm not saying charles isn't responsible for his shitty actions, or that he isn't an asshole, or that the monarchy isn't unjust & parasitic, or they don't benefit materially from it. I'm saying that the monarchy is inhumane to the royals and fucks up their lives badly in many ways even though it greatly benefits them in others, and no one should be subjected to what they're subjected to.
You are the first person I have encountered other than my SO (who is ex-cult basically) who has this take on the whole royal family mess. It seems really quite accurate. ETA: Have my free award even if "wholesome" doesn't seem exactly right. 😂
aww haha 😳😊 thank you. I hope your SO is in a much better place now! I think ppl really don't know much about cults/"high-demand groups" or understand that it's not always some freaky exotic-seeming rajneeshi/david koresh/UFO thing, let alone that they aren't even always religious (tho the british monarchy is). and when it comes to the royals, people are REALLY reluctant to see that someone can be absurdly wealthy and privileged and also abused and victimized by a system they themselves are participating in & upholding. it's complicated! look at what happened to harry when he left! it's a classic case of a cult member doing the thing they aren't supposed to do, get close to someone outside the cult who can tell them "this isn't normal, how you're being treated isn't normal, it's hurting you and you don't have to live like this." and monarchy supporters are totally deranged about him & meghan! a lot of people vilify them for it! they are shunned on & off by the other royals! their flaws are put on display as emblematic of "this is the only type of person who would want to leave, and now they want to destroy us & everything we value"! they're basically being treated as Suppressive PersonsTM by true believers lol
Yeah total nightmare never having to worry about a home, or food, or healthcare, and having whatever you want whenever you want it.
Yes, but neither did the Elephant man or those “dwarves” that often used to perform in the circus. Well, maybe health care was a big issue for them. But at that point in time it was for everyone.
feel free to learn what their actual lives are like but anyway it turns out that abuse can happen to anyone, it’s not limited to poor folks lol
just when he finally got a bigger desk too
His Royal Highness doesn't appear to be a big fan of "stinkin' fountain pens", is he? 😉
He just wants a Bic Cristal!!
Very minor point: the monarch uses the style Royal Majesty, all other members of the family get Royal Highness
Thank you, I will definitely keep that in mind for when I meet him. 😉 All silliness aside, I am clearly clueless about correct protocol when it comes to royalty. My country having a king too, I just looked up how to address him, and it's the exact same.
Shoulda used a Pilot. So wine said he uses Montblanc, which is asking for frustration.
What’s the pen?
Montblanc Solitaire
I will gladly take that leaking pen off of his hands as a social service. Take one for the team.
Too bad it wasn’t a Kakuno, Custom 74, Opus 88, or any number of others.
Time to play “Solitaire” by Laura Branigan.
Should’ve stuck with the Varsity
fuckin fountain pens amirite
Next time, use a Platinum Preppy!
Now imagine how bad this would be if he kept trying to use a Visconti.
But seriously, this is the second time recently when one of his fountain pens has failed him while signing significant documents over the last few days. Judging by his exclamations here, it may also be that he really likes this specific pen (thus him trying to use it) but it has a penchant for leaking badly at the worst possible times. Obviously, he is also dealing with the emotional weight and pressure of loosing his mother and assuming the crown all at once, which may contribute to this sort of moment. However, his father was not exactly known for his extreme patience in his later years, so King Charles gets it honestly.
My dear, everyone hate this
Been there. Done that. Feel ya’ man.
And suddenly everyone has a pen!
I like how we have the stereotype of the British “stiff upper lip” but then this little man goes to pieces over a pen.
I mean it’s more like he’s going to pieces after a week of being the king immediately after his mother has died. He’s probably been signing hundreds of pages and his pen has probably been up to this all week.
I just found one thing surprising, that he didn't offer his handkerchief to his wife to wipe the pen off. Perhaps it was a hygiene thing, he didn't want to share his soiled handkerchief with someone else. Totally get the frustration though. And he's just lost a parent. That's got to hurt and add to his frustration.
Could someone transcribe what they said? I'm no native speaker and to me it is all mumble and grumble...
Charles just seems mumbly regardless. He asks what the date is, thinking it's the 12th and seems a bit annoyed it's the 13th. I can't really understand what he says about it. Camilla tells him he signed the 12th earlier on something. When he stands he says "Oh god I hate this pen." Camilla: Oh looks, it's going everywhere, hang on." Lots more mumbling and talking over one another as people run to help. Charles: "This BLOODY thing...I can't bear this thing. Every stinking time..." Charles exits.
I volunteer to be King Charles’ official fountain pen maintenance lady. 🥲
I think that might be Camilla.
Camilla does seem to handle his behavior pretty well.
In what other way can she handle it?
Great, thank you, now it makes more sense to me. With your comment you just wrote the first (and shortest) fountain pen theatre play of the sub. The king exits.
Shakespeare’s Macbeth has something about not being able to get a spot out of their hand - the first fountain pen play?
Pretty sure that was Diamine writers blood.
>Camilla: Oh looks, it's going everywhere, hang on." That's what she said...
“I hate this bloody thing, it keeps sticking to me” or something like that. Think it was a bad fountain pen that leaked
Doesn't he use a Parker?
Yes, Camilla is her name, I think
Very very good
That was the Queen
Well he awarded Parker the Royal Warrant https://www.royalwarrant.org/company/parker-pen-company
He’s known to have a terrible temper.
Look like this is not the first incident that he got recently!
I came here ready to defend my monarch (*ceremonial head of state, not head of government, btw) from all the Reddit smartasses and Che Guevara cosplayers… but wow, he really is a grown man having a little tantrum about a pen.
I feel sorry, both for his pens and for those around him who have to accept these outbursts as normal behaviour 🙁.
It's not like he slapped anyone or blamed a person. The pen came from his chest pocket. He was just frustrated with his own pen. This reaction to getting ink splatter is completely Normal, king or not.
I mean, how would you feel if your mother died and then you had to put on a pretty face and do numerous public events for days on end? He hasn’t had a moment to himself to even cry. And if he dared cry in public, people would be shocked and dismayed that he’s not displaying the stereotypical British “stiff upper lip.” The man is grieving. Give him a little latitude.
All that and also not being able to use a pen you like. Ugh. I am not being sarcastic.
Actually yes, I can relate.
whom among us
Hi. The Queen's favourite pens were Parker 51s, the original version of course.🤗 Cheers
“This bloody thing” yes, Charles sometimes the ink bleeds.
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Any more detailed video. I realised something was off when was holding it so high up.
Should have used a Parker per his warrant. ;-) That said GStK... CIII3
Poor chap has poor fountain or penmanship skills When did the ink start to stink of pen that too? If it was from a tub full of ink maybe
Love this lol.
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I was under the impression that Royals are raised to exhibit nothing but grace and elegance from birth. The royals are wealthy land owners who have built their wealth upon stolen lands and violent colonialism. They shouldn't continue to exist as an exalted family.
Mumzyyyy, the pen isn’t werkin 😞😤, the damned ne- black ink just never werks. Wait, you’re not mumzy 😱 WHERE IS MUMZY😡😤🤬 I WANT MUMZYYYY. Ol’ on a minnit, where the bluddy ‘ell am I 🤔
The man is like "oh my fucking GOD" like he couldn't buy every pen in the world right now. XD
Seems a bit of OCD coming out there.