Royal tours are often a display of grace and elegance for the British royal family, but even they aren’t immune to the occasional mishap
With King Charles and Queen Camilla recently arriving in Australia for their landmark six-day tour, it brings to mind the various times royal family members have encountered blunders or controversies during their travels.
The Duchess of Sussex
During her royal tour of Australasia in 2018, Meghan Markle made her much-anticipated arrival in Tonga with Prince Harry. The Duchess looked gorgeous as she disembarked the plane, dressing her baby bump in a red Self-Portrait number. But some eagle-eyed fans noticed that she’d made a small mistake with her outfit by accidentally leaving the return label on the dress. The label could be seen attached from inside the skirt of her dress, hanging just beneath the hem.
Queen Elizabeth II
A more serious scenario took place in 1981 when Queen Elizabeth II survived an assassination attempt while visiting New Zealand with her husband, Prince Philip. Documents released in 2018 revealed that Christopher Lewis, who was 17 at the time, shot at Her Majesty as she left her vehicle while attending a science fair during an eight-day tour of the Commonwealth. Luckily, the bullet was too far away to injure Her Majesty, and she was unharmed by the incident.
Princess Diana
Princess Diana fell up the plane stairs in 1991 during a visit to Pakistan. Having slipped and grabbed the handrail to steady herself, Diana’s bad day only got worse when her flight was delayed for an hour because of a rainstorm. The windy weather also caused havoc with her wraparound skirt, so we’re guessing she was glad to finally get on board the plane.
The Princess of Wales
Doting mum Kate had a misdemeanor when she arrived in Wellington, New Zealand, in April 2014. The royal donned a gorgeous cherry-red coat dress that got caught in the wind as she carried her baby son, Prince George, whilst alighting the plane with her husband, Prince William.