When Camilla Parker-Bowles visited the South of England Show on Thursday, June 8 she didn’t expect to knight a drunken farmer with a leek, yet that’s exactly what happened. The Duchess of Cornwall was left humiliated when a grumpy farmer asked her to knight him in front of a crowd during her public appearance at the event for Sussex, England. Camilla attended the event in her role as the President of The South of England Agricultural Society.
Luckily for Camilla, the drunken farmer was actually an actor named Callum Arnott who was putting on a show for the crowd. But she still looked rather embarrassed after he begged her to “knight me, knight me” in front of a group of fans and journalists.
According to clips posted on social media, Callum, who also goes by the name of “Grumpy Farmer,” said, “I’m wearing my thigh high rubber for you today. Knight me, can you knight me please!”
After Camilla obliged to his request by tapping him on the shoulder with a leek, Callum responded with, “Is that all, just on the one shoulder? Oh you’re not the Queen, you can’t do two?”
Clearly, the drunken farmer was joking around with Camilla but there’s a good chance that he wouldn’t take a vegetable and ask someone like Queen Elizabeth to knight him in front of a crowd. For someone like Prince Charles, it would be downright insulting. But for Camilla Parker-Bowles, it means one of two things: either the public simply doesn’t take her seriously enough or she might be the one member of the British royal family with a good sense of humor.
But in this instance, she didn’t look amused. She knew that by knighting a performing artist with a vegetable would look like a joke or worse, turn into an Internet meme. And considering how hard she’s worked to try and soften her public image, that’s the last thing she needs right now. Plus, her husband Prince Charles is the future King of England. As the future Queen Consort, she wants people to start taking her seriously and of course, show her respect in public. But that’s not going to happen if she continues to knight at agricultural shows, even if it’s just for fun and games.
So far Camilla herself has not made any comments about the incident. In the meantime, don’t forget to check back with CDL for all the latest news and updates on the royal family right here!