King Charles Makes Historic Bermuda Visit after US Trip

Charles said this was the first visit by a British king to Bermuda in its 400-year history; this was a history that involved turning the archipelago into a maritime hub of Britain’s transatlantic slave trade, and which pressured the monarchy to address the issue.

The king toured a museum exhibition about the slave trade and watched a dance with roots in that period.

“I am told that this is the first time in Bermuda’s 400-year history that the islands have received a truly reigning king,” Charles said during a reception at Government House in Bermuda’s capital, Hamilton. “That’s why I’m so sorry it took so long.”

Charles was visiting the archipelago without Queen Camilla, who accompanied him to the United States.

Earlier in the day, the British monarch visited St. Petersburg, the first British settlement in the Atlantic Ocean region. He greeted a row of schoolchildren on the steps of the whitewashed St. Peter’s Church in St. George’s and stopped to chat with them.

“Thank you for coming,” said a crowd member holding a miniature Union Jack flag.

“Go home safe,” said another member of the crowd of hundreds gathered in King’s Square.

One of the well-wishers wore a plastic crown spotted with imitation jewels as she filmed the gathering on her cellphone after a 21-gun salute.

Charles received the Royal Salute and the Royal Bermuda Regiment’s band played the national anthem before setting a more relaxed tone with “Jamming” by Bob Marley and the Wailers.

In Sandys Parish, the royal party was treated to a performance by Gombey dancers, who carry on a folklore tradition with African, Caribbean and Native American influences.

Their vibrant costumes were a holdover from the slavery era, when performances were restricted and painted masks helped conceal dancers’ identities.

Charles also visited Trunk Island, an island in Bermuda’s Harrington Sound where the local zoological community runs educational programs.

Bermuda Zoological Society spokeswoman Robyn Bardgett told AFP that Charles, a long-time conservationist, appeared “at home” on the island, adding that it was clear his passion for the environment was “completely genuine”.

Charles asked an association employee “can you get the message across?” he asked.

Bardgett added that the king “took real time to chat with (members) about what they were learning about coral reefs.”

Charles is scheduled to travel to the United Kingdom on Saturday.

– Trump’s ‘greatest king’ –

The four-day US visit was largely seen as a success; President Donald Trump served as an attentive host, honoring the royal couple with a white-tie banquet at the White House.

“He’s a great king, the greatest king in my book,” Trump told reporters as he bid farewell.

Shortly after, Trump announced he would lift tariffs on Scotch whiskey “in honor” of Charles and Camilla.

The centerpiece of the US trip was Charles’ speech to Congress on Tuesday; this was the case with Queen Elizabeth II in 1991. It was the first speech made by an English monarch since Elizabeth I.

The speech was warmly received, although Charles touched on sensitive issues for the US president, from climate change and the need to limit presidential power to the importance of NATO and the defense of Ukraine.

The 77-year-old king glossed over tensions between Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer over Britain’s refusal to join the war against Iran, insisting that the partnership between the two countries was “born out of disagreement but no less strong for it”.