King Charles’s struggles with a leaking pen, and why we all can relate to it

"I can't bear this bloody thing!": King Charles' signing ceremony at Northern Ireland's Hillsborough Castle made one thing clear – even royalty can't escape the frustration of an inadequate pen. pic.twitter.com/nzygNTLslX

— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 13, 2022

Now, virtually no part of the 73-year-old King’s life may be remotely relatable to us common folk. But a leaking pen has, definitely, left a mark at some point or the other in all our lives (except maybe those who belong to Gen Z).

How exactly does a fountain pen work?

The fountain pen, a rare sight nowadays, works on the basic principles of gravity and capillary action — the property of liquid rising through a narrow space or thin tube due to the adhesive and cohesive forces interacting between the liquid and the surface.

Ink stored in the ink tube inside the pen’s handle flows through the feed, a thin plastic tube connecting the tube to the nib of the pen. When in use, ink flows through the feed partly because of gravity, which pushes it out when the nib points down, and partly due to capillary action. But as the feed linking the nib to the ink tube is quite narrow, it stops too much ink from flowing out at once. Part of the feed, towards its end and close to the nib, is also built in such a way so as to collect excess ink.

What makes fountain pens leak so persistently?

When not in use, the fountain pen has to be kept in an upright position, with the nib pointed upwards. If it is kept without the cap on, or if kept in an inverted position, gravity and capillary action often work their magic to make the ink flow out, staining everything in sight.

Fountain pens also have a tendency to malfunction when the air pressure fluctuates. The changing air pressure can make pens leak at high altitudes and on aircraft.

Increasing levels of heat can also make the ink inside the ink tube expand and leak.

There are several other reasons that make fountain pens leak: the ink cartridge may be not be attached tightly enough to hold the ink securely, there may be a broken part of the pen that is too tiny to be detected, or there may be an undetected air leak in the pen’s body or ink tube.

King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, sign the visitors book during a visit to Hillsborough Castle, Belfast, Sept. 13. 2022. (AP)

So is there a fool-proof way to prevent fountain pens from leaking (which can maybe be shared with King Charles)?

The pen should always be kept in an upright position. Before taking flights, it is advisable to drain out the ink completely to prevent leakages. Fountain pens should be kept in a not-too-hot place, to prevent the ink from expanding. Carrying fountain pens in back pockets or hip pockets should be avoided.

Ultimately though, there seems to be no 100 per cent guaranteed plan to make fountain pens stop leaking. It’s just something that they tend to do and have done for over a century — and indiscriminately staining hands, pockets, and bags.