Idris Elba and King Charles meet in Antigua amid apology dispute

Idris Elba and King Charles met at Nelsons Dockyard in Antigua on November 2, after the monarch placed an engraved stone into a wall. Accounts differ over the words Elba used in a brief apology during their exchange: one says he referred to the rain, while others report that he said, “Sorry about the prime minister.” HELLO! reported that Elba’s apology was about the weather. Three other accounts describe him saying “Sorry about the prime minister,” with one saying he was understood to mean Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne. The supplied accounts do not include a recording or transcript that resolves the difference. The encounter took place as Charles toured the historic dockyard and Elba attended an event at the site. Elba, a goodwill ambassador for the King’s Trust, was hosting the One Commonwealth Night concert. The men shook hands and exchanged greetings. Charles asked what Elba was doing there; Elba replied, “I get around,” and patted the King on the arm. They laughed, and Elba asked whether Charles was having a good time. The reported reference to a prime minister appeared against debate over slavery, a formal British apology and reparations ahead of the...