King Charles got surprisingly frank during his farewell speech as he wrapped up his eventful first Commonwealth tour since becoming monarch. Over the past couple of weeks, the king and Queen Camilla have toured both Australia and Samoa for what marks their inaugural major international tour since becoming the reigning royals in 2022.
The major trip was initially called into question, however, given Charles’ ongoing cancer treatment. As it happens, the king elected to temporarily suspend his weekly therapy in order to take the 10-day vacation, a decision that reportedly had the full backing of his doctors. That said, the tour’s itinerary had to be carefully altered so as not to tire the king out — a trip to New Zealand had to removed entirely, for instance.
The king must’ve been exhausted by the tour’s conclusion, then, but it seems his first Commonwealth trip as the one wearing the crown meant a lot to him, as he made an emotional admission to the assembled crowds on his final day in Samoa.
“Devoted” King Charles hopes he “survives long enough” to return to his new favorite place
A torrential downpour didn’t dampen King Charles’ spirits upon his final day in Samoa as he gushed about how “impressed” he is by his trip to the Pacific Island nation and how he promises to remain “devoted” to the people there for as long as he “survives.” The king’s candid words came on Friday, after he and Camilla witnessed a traditional ceremony hosted by the Siumu village chief.
After the chief was done speaking, Charles was handed a microphone himself and appeared to give an off-the-cuff and unplanned goodbye speech. The king, who is known to have been served breakfast by the locals every morning, praised the village for its “wonderful generosity” and that he and wife Camilla would take away “special memories of our time here.”
“We’ve been so impressed by the beautiful way in which all the villages have decorated the roadsides, it is something very special about Samoa,” the king said (via Telegraph). “I shall always remain devoted to this part of the world and hope that I survive long enough to come back again and see you.”
Now that he’s back in Blighty, King Charles is believed to have resumed his cancer treatment. While the Palace has stressed that his progress is going “well,” online rumors run rampant that the Royals are secretly planning for the worst case scenario, with his heir, Prince William, being prepped to assume the throne if anything should happen to his father.
While the Australia leg of the king’s tour seemed to leave him flustered or fatigued — notably, he fled a lunch thrown in his honor after just 10 minutes and he grew impatient in the middle of a two-page speech — King Charles certainly seems to have enjoyed his time in Samoa more. That may or may not have anything to do with the fact he got given some psychoactive drugs that are illegal in the U.K.
