A Fox News host broke protocol at the state banquet for Britain’s royal couple at the White House and was quickly pulled away from Queen Camilla after making an offensive remark while meeting the royal in the reception line.
It happened Tuesday night, April 28, on the second day of King Charles and Camilla’s four-day tour of the U.S., their first since Charles ascended to the throne after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
Right-wing political commentator Jesse Watters recalled the incident the next day on his Fox show “The Five,” telling his colleagues that Camilla was greeting guests in the reception line leading into the glittering state dinner hosted by the Trumps for the royal couple when he stopped to chat with her.
“We do the walk through where you do the introduction and then the king had no idea who I was. So, I said, ‘I’m on Fox and I have two shows.’ And he goes, ‘They must really love you here,’” a smiling and giggling Watters recounted.
“And so, we go down and there’s the queen and I said, ‘How was the beehive?’” referring to the royal couple’s visit to an expanded beehive on the South Lawn of the White House the day they arrived in Washignton on Monday, April 27.
‘And she goes, ‘It was very good. No one got stung.’ And then I said, ‘Well you know, it’s Washington, D.C. if the bees don’t get you, the guns will,’” Watters said.
His colleagues couldn’t believe it. “You said that?”
“Yeah,” Watters replied, laughing and explaining, “And then this woman started pulling me away from the queen.”
Watters hoped to save face by trying to convince his friends, “I didn’t know what I was saying. I started mumbling.”
The Fox jockey’s crude comment to Camilla came three days after a Secret Service agent was shot at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton while President Donald Trump, Melania Trump and most top members of his administration were there.
The agent survived and an armed suspect who tried to breach the ballroom was arrested and is now facing federal charges.
A social media frenzy exploded as users expressed horror and disbelief at Watters’ senseless quip.
“Offending the guest of honor is not funny. Decorum exists for a reason. Inviting you to attend an inclusive event requires you offer respect to the honored guest in which this event was designed to celebrate. Acting like a two year old is not cute. You’re a bonafide jerk,” an X user pointed out.
Another observed, “But Trump said he got rid of crime in DC. You went off script, shame on you.”
Poster Kell D was angry Over Watters’ crassness, “You’re an idiot, Watters!!! Not only are you an embarrassment to journalism but you’re also an embarrassment to this country as well. Do yourself and the rest of the world a big favor and get yourself a paper route and call it a day. May God help us all.”
Another was just as furious, calling for the same treatment against Watters as Trump is using against former FBI Director James Comey.
“Dumb ass! FCC must be reviewing Fox’s license. And, DOJ is of course looking @ you for violent political rhetoric. That’s absolutely what will happen, right? Right?”
The poster is referring to the Justice Department’s second attempted prosecution of Comey after a grand jury indicted him this week over a picture he posted last year of seashells spelling out “86 47” on a beach.
Comey is charged with two counts, including threatening the president and transmitting a threat to kill the president, according to The Hill.
Trump claims Comey was engaged in violent political rhetoric and was calling for his assassination. Comey denies the charges and said he deleted the post after he learned the other meaning of “86.”
The term is generally used to refer to a menu item in a restaurant that’s no longer available or when a customer is removed from a bar or restaurant.
Meantime, Charles and Camilla’s U.S. visit, widely seen as a charm offensive as tensions between Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ratchet up over the U.K.’s refusal to enter the president’s war on Iran, ended Thursday, April 30, after stops in D.C., New York, and Virginia.
