King Charles has admitted he can’t keep pace with Princess Anne
as he completed a visit to Bermuda.
Speaking at a reception at Government House in the country as he
undertook his first visit to an Overseas Territory as King, Charles
III noted the many visits his Royal Family has made there over the
years and had particular words to say about his sister.
Noting that ”my sister, The Princess Royal, has been here
numerous times”, he went off script and added ”she goes everywhere
in the world and I can’t keep up with it.”
And he had praise for another of the most high profile royals,
the Duchess of Gloucester, who had carried out the most recent
royal visit to the island, arriving in 2025.
The King underlined the importance of his own visit as he told
the country’s Prime Minister that ”it meant a very great deal, Mr.
Premier, to receive your generous invitation to come here myself,
and to make Bermuda my first Overseas Territory visit as King. In
fact, I am told it is also the “first time” in Bermuda’s
four-hundred-year history that the islands have received a reigning
King. I am sorry it has taken so long!”
The visit to Bermuda followed The King’s highly successful four
day State Visit to the US where he and Queen Camilla were guests of
honour at the White House for a State Banquet where The King’s
speech was praised for its diplomacy and bite. King Charles also
addressed Congress during his time in the US – only the second time
a British Monarch has done so. The first to make such a speech was
Queen Elizabeth II.
The speech made by King Charles in Bermuda reflected on the
future of the country, with The King noting that ”against the
backdrop of such great natural scenery, the young people of Bermuda
especially have shone brightly today. Whether they were showcasing
their art, their sport, their commitment to service, their passion
for Nature, or their impressive Gombey dance, I am proud to have
witnessed that the future of Bermuda is entrusted to such safe
hands.”
On the first day of his visit to Bermuda, King Charles had
joined a ‘living classroom’ on Trunk Island where children and
young people get hands on experience of the area’s ecosystem.
During his own living classroom experience, The King watched a
soil class as well as a lesson on coral and fish identification. He
also saw the students work to release hermit crabs into the
environment and saw a health check of Bermuda Longtails.
He’d also met some of the young sailors learning the ropes,
quite literally, at the ferry service at the Royal Bermuda Yacht
Club. His busy first day included sport and youth-themed gathering
on the waterfront at The Camber where he heard about the
development of strong, positive possibilities for young people.
It came after the ceremonial welcome to the island, in King
Square in St. George’s, the former capital of Bermuda. There was a
21 gun salute as well as a Royal Salute and an inspection of the
Guard of Honour.
King Charles then travelled on to meet the Prime Minister of
Bermuda, E.David Burt, and the Cabinet. His first day also included
a visit to St. Peter’s Church which he had also been to during his
last visit to the country, in 1970. The church was designated
”Their Majesties Chappell” in 2012 by Queen Elizabeth II to mark
her Diamond Jubilee.
He was reunited with the Premier for a longer audience as day
one came to an end before joining guests at a reception at
Government House where he made his speech.
The second day of the visit to Bermuda also saw The King
officially open Great Bay Coast Guard Station and hear about the
work done by the Royal Bermuda Regiment’s Coast Guard to protect
the territorial waters and safeguard the marine environment. Five
members of the Regiment were presented with Operational Service
Medals by The King, during the visit, for their work.
The focus was firmly on the future for the final engagement of
the tour of Bermuda. King Charles attended the launch of a UK Space
Agency Project which will oversee the installation of global
network of telescopes across five sites to help track space debris
and support international sustainability.
King Charles has now left Bermuda to return to the UK where
he’ll be reunited with Queen Camilla who didn’t accompany him on
the visit.
