Samoa Welcomes Royals for Historic Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, have arrived in Apia, Samoa, where they were warmly welcomed by a guard of honour at the airport. After their arrival, the royal couple was escorted to their accommodation in Siumu, with local villagers lining the roadsides, illuminated by lanterns to greet His Royal Highness.
The King is scheduled to deliver an address at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on Friday, October 25, 2024. This year’s CHOGM is particularly significant as it is the first to be held in a Pacific Small Island Developing State. The Solomon Islands is represented at the meeting by Foreign Affairs Minister Peter Shanel Agovaka.
According to the royal office, King Charles’s itinerary in Samoa will support one of the meeting’s key themes: “a resilient environment,” along with a focus on oceans.
The couple will participate in an ‘Ava Fa’atupu ceremony to formally welcome them before engaging with locals to highlight various aspects of Samoan traditions and culture. Additionally, King Charles will attend the CHOGM Business Forum, where he will learn about advancements in sustainable urbanization and initiatives aimed at addressing climate change.
As part of his environmental focus, King Charles will visit a mangrove forest, a national park, and Samoa’s Botanical Garden, where he will plant a tree to commemorate the opening of a new section, aptly named ‘The King’s Garden.’
Queen Camilla’s schedule includes visiting an aoga faifeau to observe firsthand how students are taught to read and write, as well as visiting the Samoa Victim Support Group, an organization that assists survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse.
Since ascending the throne, King Charles III has visited 44 of the 53 Commonwealth countries, often on multiple occasions. His previous visits to the Pacific include representing his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, at Fiji’s independence celebrations in 1970 and attending the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012, which included visits to Papua New Guinea, Australia, and New Zealand.
The Prime Minister of Samoa will extend a warm welcome to King Charles III, marking this visit as significant not only for the King, who has attended CHOGM in the past, but also as his first visit in the capacity of Head of the Commonwealth.
Samoa has meticulously planned for these royal events with assistance from regional and international partners. The Samoa National Task Force, chaired by the Prime Minister and coordinated by Peseta Noumea Simi, Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has worked diligently alongside 12 subcommittees from various government ministries and agencies. Preparations for the week-long summit included resurfacing roads, enhancing the airport with a new VIP terminal, upgrading equipment at government radio and television stations, improving infrastructure, and renovating hotels and other venues.
With RNZ
