The royal couple was greeted by Samoa's prime minister, Fiame Naomi Mata'afa.King Charles, Prince of Wales, has arrived for a four-day state visit to Samoa, where he will chair the meeting of the first Commonwealth presidents and prime ministers.
The King and Queen Camilla were met at Faleolo International Airport by Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa, who greeted the royal couple as they arrived on a blustery day to where red carpet left flapping in heavy winds after last-minute vacuuming.
As the Queen and Prince Philip disembarked, they were greeted by local dignitaries while The Royal Samoan Police Band strike up
These ancient traditions have provided an assuring welcome to Samoan soil for the King and Queen, who on Tuesday ended their six-day tour of Australia with a message posted on social media saying how could they "could not wait" in arriving at Samoa.
King to start Commonwealth summit in Samoa.The Samoan connection is evident from just a few words of tweets written in primarily unidentifiable. I'm guessing Samoan that the translation engine stumbles on translations: "Going!
Samoa is a small island nation in the central South Pacific Ocean. It consists of an archipelago with nine islands; it has been hosting this year's Biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) under the theme "One Resilient Common Future."
The King, the head of the Commonwealth, will make a formal opening speech in attendance with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Rwanda hosted the last CHOGM in 2022, during which Charles deputized for Queen Elizabeth II. He will travel to Samoa alongside Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
The route from the airport to Apia, the capital of Samoa, where staff had been polishing brass for weeks in preparation for the royal visit on Wednesday.
Every village that went through the house was one of the countries, decorated with flags and painted lawns.
Trees, bushes, and roofs had flashing lights, while car tires were painted fancy colors and turned into plant pots.
Climate change is close to the King's heart and a likely top issue during this meeting, considering that one of his host countries sits in sea-level-threatened terrain.
Reparations might still need to be officially considered. Still, this group of nations was brought together by British colonization, so it is a subject that will probably be raised.
The UK government argues that no official apology or reparations will be offered.
The King and Queen landed in Samoa on Tuesday after wrapping up the Australian leg of their tour.On Tuesday, after hours of engagements by The King and Queen in Australia over almost a week last month – they wrapped up the Australian leg.
In one day alone this week, the royals visited the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence, took part in work at a food bank and social housing project, and met children involved in a literacy initiative before enjoying lunchtime barbecues with local communities.
They had breakfast with two of Australia's most esteemed cancer researchers and even marked the 50th anniversary of Sydney Opera House.
Meanwhile, an Australian arm of the King's Foundation was opened to support a charity that encourages sustainability and fosters traditional craft training.
It was not an absolutely smooth ride, however.
An Australian senator defended heckling the King and accusing him of genocide after he spoke at Parliament House on Monday, telling BBC: "He's not of this land."
The ceremony was briefly interrupted by Lidia Thorpe, an Aboriginal Australian woman who shouted for about a minute until she was escorted out of the room in Canberra.
It followed her comments about genocide against 'our' own people, as she screamed: 'This isn't your country get off my King.'
Aboriginal elder Aunty Violet Sheridan, who welcomed the King and Queen today, wasn't impressed by Thorpes protest. "It must have been disrespectful," she said later through an interpreter…MsThorpe does not speak for me."
The ceremony ended with no mention of the disturbance and they went on to meet hundreds who had been waiting outside.
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