The King is powering ahead as he embarks on a whirlwind tour of Bermuda today just hours after concluding his triumphant state visit to the United States.
Despite a punishing schedule in America, Charles, 77 – who is still undergoing cancer treatment – is making his first visit as monarch to a British overseas territory.
He flew in yesterday from Washington but his engagements begin on earnest today with no less than eight different public elements.
He is conducting the trip solo after his wife, Queen Camilla, flew back on a commercial flight from the US capital as part of a long-standing arrangement.
Locals started gathering around King’s Square in Bermuda from 8am this morning to secure their positions along the Union flag covered railings.
Schoolchildren were brimming with excitement as they stood waving their Bermudan and UK flags in the sunshine.
Theo Godfrey, four, was fittingly dressed in a replica King’s Guard uniform, complete with the red tunic and bearskin hat worn by the guards standing outside St James’s Palace and Buckingham Palace.
His mother purchased the outfit from the official Buckingham Palace shop two years ago and joked: ‘He’s worn it ever since!’
King Charles arrives for a ceremonial welcome at King’s Square in St George’s, Bermuda, today
Charles meets Theo Godfrey, four, who is fittingly dressed in a replica King’s Guard uniform
King Charles III attends a ceremonial welcome at King’s Square in St George’s, Bermuda
People wait for the arrival of King Charles III at King’s Square in St George’s, Bermuda
Charles greets members of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club in Hamilton, Bermuda
The King waves at onlookers in Bermuda during a ceremonial welcome at King’s Square
Sisters Freya, nine, and Sophie, seven, said they were ‘very excited’ to see the King and wave their flags, though they were disappointed they had to return to school once Charles had left.
Jane Gregory, a retired banker, said she saw the late Queen Elizabeth II when she visited in 2009 and has come today because it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet the King.
‘It means a lot to me that he’s coming,’ she said. ‘I’m from England originally it means a huge amount to me, I’m very excited.’
The weather has markedly improved since downpours and strong winds earlier this morning, with bright sunshine breaking through shortly before the King’s arrival.
Siblings Albie, six, and Aurora, four, spent last night and this morning making two posters to show the King.
The first, written in red white and blue and complete with a Union flag, read: ‘Welcome to St George’s Bermuda King Charles III.’
They also made a crown, which Aurora held on a stick.
Their parents said they wanted to come down because their surname is George, the same as the town, former monarchs and the second in line to the throne.
King Charles III with Bermuda’s MP Jache Adams cuts a cake to mark the centenary of the Bermuda Aquarium Museum during his first visit to the Overseas Territory
Charles greets a member of the Royal Bermuda Regiment Band and Corps of Drums today
People wait for the arrival of King Charles III at King’s Square in St George’s, Bermuda, today
Members of the Royal Bermuda Regiment before the arrival ceremony in St George’s, Bermuda
Charles shake hands with former assistant equerry James Larner during a visit to the Bermuda Aquarium Museum
King Charles on a ferry on his way to Royal Naval Dockyard in Bermuda
In the lead up to the royal arrival, town crier Ed Christopher was practicing his bell ringing – much to the delight of the primary school children.
He has been in the role since the late Queen’s visit in 1994 and he covers the whole island.
‘Are you excited to see the King?’ he was asked.
He replied: ‘I hope the King is excited to see me!’
Mr Christopher will announce the King’s arrival.
A large banner was hung from the Whitehorse pub, the oldest pub in St George’s, welcoming Charles – though it mistakenly includes the Queen too.
It read: ‘Warm greetings to Your Majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla.’
His Majesty will be officially welcomed in St George’s – Bermuda’s former capital – at its ceremonial centre in King’s Square.
As the King arrives at King’s Square, a 21-gun salute will conclude and the King will be received by the Commanding Officer of the Royal Bermuda Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Duncan Simons.
On the Dais, a Royal Salute will be given before the National Anthem is played by the regimental band.
King Charles steps off a plane as he arrives for a ceremonial welcome in St George’s, Bermuda
People wait for the arrival of King Charles III at King’s Square in St George’s, Bermuda, today
King Charles III greets members of the Royal Bermuda Regiment during a ceremonial welcome
Members of the Royal Bermuda Regiment interact with members of the public in St George’s
King Charles III reviews the troops during a ceremonial welcome at King’s Square in St George
The King will be invited to inspect the guard, accompanied by Parade Commander, Major Kenji Bean.
Proceeding to the Town Hall, the King will meet the Premier of Bermuda and members of Cabinet, alongside the Mayor of St George and local councillors, before returning to the square to meet community members who have gathered to watch the ceremonial welcome.
Before departing, the King will proceed to St Peter’s Church, having last visited in 1970 to deliver the Speech from the Throne for the 350th opening of Bermudian Parliament.
The King will meet the Bishop of Bermuda, the Right Reverend Nicholas Dill and Priest in Charge, Reverend Thomas Nisbett who will show His Majesty some of the church, which continues to be a place of active worship in Bermuda.
St Peter’s Church was designated ‘Their Majesties Chappell’ by Queen Elizabeth II during her Diamond Jubilee year in 2012, in recognition of their 400th anniversary.
Students from local schools will line the 26-steps up to the church to greet the King.
Charles later saw a colourful dance display by several of the island’s Gombey dance troops, an African-Caribbean tradition that dates back to slavery.
Arriving by car, the King got out to see men and some children dancing in neon-coloured outfits with tassels on their trousers and elaborate masks and tall pointed headgear topped off with plumes of ostrich feathers.
During slavery, people were banned from performing except for once or twice a year and had to wear masks which are still seen in the performances as an acknowledgement of the brutal history that dancers endured.
Charles later saw a colourful dance display by several of the island’s Gombey dance troops, an African-Caribbean tradition that dates back to slavery
King Charles III watches as Gombey dancers perform during a cultural welcome at the Royal Naval Dockyard in Bermuda
Irwin Trott, spokesman for the Bermudan Gombey dance troops, met the King and told him about the background of the tradition.
Charles heard that there were three forms of the dance: the fast or freedom dance, the masquerade and the Junkana.
Mr Trott said: ‘I was the one who took a few minutes to give the King a brief history of our culture and its significance to our people on the island.
‘I told him that it’s a combination of cultures, African, Caribbean, West Indian, Native American and, of course, Great Britain.
‘I then explained the Gombey regalia from the head dress to everything else.’
Trott didn’t have a long enough conversation with the King to go through all the history but said afterwards: ‘Gombey is a premise from the Atlantic Slave Trade when they were brought over by the colonisers and shipped to New England and the Caribbean islands, even though they were stripped of their identity , names were taken, their language was taken, deep in their heart they maintained their culture, and so it still flourished throughout the Caribbean.
‘It was prohibited sot hey were only permitted to perform on Christmas and New Year’s.’
Now, it is seen as a celebration of culture with eight different Gombey dance troops in Bermuda.
The Gombey dance tradition is rooted in African culture and was made popular in St Kitts, later spreading across the Caribbean. In the exhibition space at the 1850 Ordnance House, the King viewed items relating to the Transatlantic slave trade, including neck irons form the 1500s.
The small but stark display traced the darker moments in the island’s history, with a cabinet dedicated to trade, slavery and conquest.
King Charles meets Bermuda-born Michael Frith, designer of the Muppets, as the pair pose next to a puppet of Fozzie Bear from the iconic children’s series
It included a drawn image of shackled men sitting in a slave ship and several examples of neck irons.
The King was also shown exhibits detailing the history of Bermuda and its shipwrecks, seeming astonished at the number recorded on a map via red dots, and its trade.
He paused in front of the irons and pointed to them, asking Elena Strong, Executive Director of the National Museum of Bermuda who was showing him around, about them.
His words could not be heard above the drumming outside, but he did not shy away from looking at them in front of the cameras.
A label on the display, describing the neck irons from San Pedro in 1595, said: ‘From 1550 to 1595, the official records show that 36,300 enslaved Africans were important into Spanish Southern America.’ It added that the true number was higher.
A further note read: ‘Slavery formed the backbone of European Empire building. A large expendable workforce was needed to mine for silver and gold and to work sugar plantations.
‘Once the enslaved Native American workforce was exhausted – killed off by disease, hard labour and massacres – the Portuguese and Spanish turned to West Africa as a source of slaves.’
The British settled the island from 1609 and it become a British Crown Colony in 1684.
