King Charles has emotionally said he “hopes to survive long enough to return” to Samoa after a moving ceremony.
The monarch, 75, and Camilla, 77, bid a fond farewell to the country in a colorful traditional Ava ceremony in Siumu village.
Charles was conferred with another honorary title, To’aiga-o-Tumua, while he and the Queen were presented with garlands as they arrived in the pouring rain.
In an impromptu speech in which the King appeared to make a clear reference to his current fight against cancer, he said: “I will always remain dedicated to this part of the world and I hope to survive long enough to come back and see you.”
—I promise you that we will take very special memories from our stay here. We thank you for our wonderful gifts’
Charles, who is still undergoing cancer treatment, was “uplifted” by his trip to Australia and Samoa, where he performed up to ten engagements a day.
The king will return next year to a “full programme” of foreign tours following a new vote of confidence in his health from his doctors.
And sources close to Charles, who stopped treatment to undertake the 30,000-mile, 11-day round trip, explained it was all part of his “mind, body and soul” approach to his battle with cancer.
King Charles has emotionally said he “hopes to survive long enough to return” to Samoa after a moving ceremony.
The monarch, 75, and Camilla, 77, say a fond farewell to the country after a colorful traditional Ava ceremony in the village of Siumu.
Charles was conferred with another honorary title, To’aiga-o-Tumua, and he and the Queen were presented with garlands as they arrived in the pouring rain.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla smile during a visit to a beach in Apia, Samoa
King Charles III and Queen Camilla during a farewell ceremony at Siumu Village on the final day of the royal visit to Australia and Samoa.
This attitude is one of the reasons, they say, why he has insisted on continuing his work since being diagnosed with an undisclosed form of the disease in February, despite the grueling physical toll of his illness.
Aides say Charles has allowed his doctors to focus on healing his body, while he has focused on his mental strength to cope with such a “shocking” and unexpected blow, determined to keep his mind “in the right state.”
They also revealed:
- Charles had red boxes of official documents sent to Australia to work on once he concluded his busy days of commitments.
- At Queen Camilla’s urging, he has taken some time off reading a “big” new book;
- The King feels closer than ever to his wife. The couple is a “remarkable unit,” say courtiers, and she has kept it “real” for him;
- While his cancer diagnosis came as a huge shock, Charles decided almost immediately to try to make it a force for good, sharing his story with millions of other sufferers and taking “comfort” from their support;
- His tour of Australia and Samoa was seen by Buckingham Palace as a great test for his reign, and it exceeded all expectations, possibly setting back the republican cause in Australia by a generation;
- The protest of an indigenous Australian in parliament did not bother him. “He’s seen it all.”
The positive health news comes as Charles and Camilla concluded their trip by hosting a ‘King’s Dinner’ for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa, followed by a visit to a village to thank locals for their hospitality.
Buckingham Palace also released new photos of the royal couple enjoying a walk on the beach, looking happy and relaxed.
When the prospect of going on tour was first mooted earlier this year just eight months after being diagnosed with cancer, staff were unsure how the King would react.
However, they typically said the answer wasn’t “how dare you?” but ‘why can’t I go to New Zealand too?’ A source said: ‘He didn’t even hesitate. “We had to hold him back.”
A palace official said yesterday: “It is a great testament to the King’s devotion to service and duty that he was prepared to go this far and that he was incredibly happy and very, very determined to do it.”
As for the volume of commitments he took on each day, even though he had nights off to recover, they made it clear that the challenge had encouraged him.
“It is a great measure of how the King is coping with the diagnosis,” they said. ‘He is a great believer in mind, body and soul.
‘It’s hard to overstate the joy he feels in duty and service, in being out in public and seeing those crowds. That really lifts the spirits. You can see it.’
The couple, umbrellas in hand, walked down a soggy red carpet to a stage that had been covered with woven mats and adorned with flowers.
King Charles holds a bowl during a ceremony in Siumu Village, Samoa, on October 26.
Charles and Camilla during a farewell ceremony at Siumu Village on the final day of the royal visit to Australia and Samoa.
Charles and Camilla were offered seats on large golden thrones where they sat and listened to several extravagantly dressed village elders welcome them with honor.
They also watched intently as the villagers, soaked to the skin but determined to continue with the festivities, undertook an “ava ceremony” – the preparation of a special drink from the roots of the ava plant – which was given to the king to drink. in a polished coconut shell
Charles was so encouraged by last week, as were his doctors, that he hopes to get back to normal next year.
“We are now working on a full overseas tour schedule which looks quite normal for next year,” a senior royal official said, suggesting that the traditional spring and autumn tours will be back in play.
Canada is likely high on your list. Of course, every decision made will be subject to discussion with the government, his ongoing treatment (the duration of which has not been revealed), and ultimately approval from his doctors.
But sources say the future is “bright”, which can’t always be said to have been the case after the King was diagnosed earlier this year.
After the initial shock of such a “surprising” diagnosis, he realized “in an instant” how much he had in common with so many millions of people in the UK and across the Commonwealth.
They say it has been a great source of strength for him to talk to others about their shared experiences.
And he hopes others have taken comfort in the fact that even “a king can get cancer.”
His collaborators have told this newspaper of the deep concerns expressed privately about how the King’s visit to Australia, his first to any of his kingdoms as monarch, would be received.
“There was a lot at stake, it was very important for us,” they added. ‘A new King, a new kingdom and a new world.’
Having Camilla, 77, with him was a huge help. A senior royal aide described the pair as a “remarkable unit”, adding: “The King gains great strength when the Queen is there, not least because she keeps it real.”