Reuters
King Charles and Queen Camilla were welcomed by the Prime Minister of Samoa, Fiame Naomi Mata'afa.
King Charles has arrived in Samoa for a four-day state visit during which he will chair a meeting of Commonwealth presidents and prime ministers for the first time.
Fiame Prime Minister Naomi Mata'afa welcomed the King and Queen Camilla at Faleolo International Airport, where a red carpet was rolled out amid high winds and a last-minute vacuum cleaner.
The Royal Samoan Police band began playing as the couple descended and met with local authorities.
The King and Queen, who finished their six-day tour of Australia on Tuesday, posted a message on social media saying they “couldn't wait” to arrive in Samoa and feel the “warmth” of the ancients traditions of the country.
Reuters
King to officially open Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa
The tweet included a few words in Samoan that loosely translated to “looking forward to meeting the Samoan people.”
Samoa, a small country in the central South Pacific Ocean made up of an archipelago of nine islands, is hosting a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on the theme “A Resilient Common Future”.
The King, as Head of the Commonwealth, will officially open the event in the presence of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Charles deputized for Queen Elizabeth II at the last CHOGM hosted by Rwanda in 2022, and in Samoa he will be joined by Foreign Minister David Lammy.
The road linking the airport to Apia – the capital of Samoa – has been prepared for Wednesday's royal visit.
Each village along the route had adopted a country, whose inhabitants decorated their houses and adorned their lawns with corresponding flags.
Flashing lights were installed in trees, bushes and on roofs, while car tires were transformed into flower pots and painted in bright colors.
Climate change, a subject close to the king's heart, should be at the top of the agenda for this meeting which will be held in a region of the world very vulnerable to rising sea levels.
Although reparations are not officially on the table, the subject is likely to come up as this group of countries was brought together by British colonization.
The British government said there would be no official apology or reparations.
Reuters
The King and Queen arrived in Samoa after the Australian leg of their tour concluded on Tuesday.
The King and Queen wrapped up the Australian leg of their tour on Tuesday after completing a long list of engagements.
Between them, on Tuesday alone, the royal couple visited the National Center for Indigenous Excellence, a food bank, a social housing project, a literacy initiative and a community barbecue.
They met two leading cancer researchers and celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Sydney Opera House.
An Australian branch of the King's Foundation has been officially launched, developing a charity that promotes sustainability and provides training in traditional craft skills.
But it wasn't an entirely straightforward journey.
On Monday, an Australian senator denied heckling the king and accusing him of genocide after addressing Parliament, telling the BBC “he is not from this country.”
Lidia Thorpe, an Aboriginal Australian, interrupted the ceremony in the capital Canberra by shouting for about a minute before being escorted away by security.
After claiming the genocide of “our people”, we heard him shout: “This is not your land, you are not my king”.
But Aboriginal elder Aunt Violet Sheridan, who earlier greeted the king and queen, said Thorpe's protest was “disrespectful”, adding: “She doesn't speak for me.”
The ceremony ended without any reference to the incident and the royal couple were met with hundreds of people waiting outside to greet them.
