King Charles and Queen Camilla Arrive in Samoa as Royal Tour Continues

King Charles and Queen Camilla have touched down in Samoa as their royal tour continues.

On Oct. 23, the King, 75, and Queen, 77, stepped off their plane for the second leg of their working trip, and were welcomed by Prime Minister Afioga Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa.

After meeting several dignitaries, the royal couple stood to attention as the U.K. National Anthem, God Save The King was played. Charles then inspected the Guard of Honor, which — like the ceremonial music — was provided by the Samoan Police Force.

It was evening in Samoa, and Charles and Camilla so there was only time for one official engagement for the King — a 20-minute meeting with the Prime Minister, which took place at the airport and likely involved a brief discussion about the days ahead.

The royal couple are in the Pacific Island for the meeting of Commonwealth Heads of Government over the coming days and the country has chosen “One Resilient Common Future” as the theme. It is focused on identifying practical ways to build environmental, economic, societal and democratic resilience across the Commonwealth (the family of 56 nations closely tied with the U.K.)

The stop in Samoa comes during a nine-day tour of Australia and Samoa, which kicked off in Sydney last Friday, Oct. 18. The King and Queen’s time in Australia was considered a royal visit, while their stop in the independent state of Samoa is a state visit. The Australia leg was historic as King Charles’ first tour of foreign realm since his accession in September 2022, and the royal tour itself is his most major international trip since Buckingham Palace announced that he was diagnosed with cancer.

King Charles is head of state in Australia, which is one of 14 realms officially affiliated with the British crown beyond the U.K., while his relationship to Samoa is a little different. The King is head of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 56 nations of which Samoa is part, and a highlight of the visit there will be his appearance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2024. 

“Their Majesties’ State Visit to Samoa will celebrate the warm bilateral relationship between the two countries, which has been further strengthened by Samoa’s hosting of CHOGM 2024,” the palace said in a statement about the Samoa schedule.

It added that the King would make engagements reflecting themes of sustainability and biodiversity, a key theme of CHOGM. He is due to visit a mangrove forest and national park to see how communities are caring for them, and plant a tree in Samoa’s Botanical Garden to open the new “King’s Garden.” 

Meanwhile, the schedule said the Queen’s stops will spotlight wider themes of her longtime work in literacy and supporting survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse. She is expected to visit an aoga faifeau, a traditional Samoan Pastor’s School, to learn more about how students are taught to read and write, and also spend time at the Samoa Victim Support Group to hear about the services provided to those in crisis.

The King and Queen will appear together at the CHOGM opening ceremony and host a dinner for the Commonwealth Heads of Government. The theme of the 2024 summit is “One Resilient Common Future: Transforming Our Common Wealth” and delegations from 56 countries will convene then. The summit happens biennially, and royal watchers long speculated that the couple would make the long-distance trip to attend.

CHOGM 2024 runs from Oct. 21 to Oct. 26, and is especially memorable as the King’s first time attending as Head of the Commonwealth, which is home to 2.7 billion people. He has attended the event (which rotates locations) six times before, most recently representing his mother, Queen Elizabeth, in Rwanda in June 2022 before her death that September.

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King Charles reportedly paused his ongoing ​​cancer treatment during the royal tour, and a stop in the nearby Commonwealth country of New Zealand was previously ruled out on medical advice. 

A spokesperson previously said that “the King’s doctors have advised that such an extended program should be avoided at this time, to prioritize His Majesty’s continued recovery.” 

The King and Queen have appeared to be in good spirits throughout the busy trip so far, despite disruptions like a protesting politician in Australian Parliament and vandalism of a royal statue during a day out in Sydney.