King Charles III continues his Caribbean tour: the Bahamas visit called a 'diplomatic success', with Guyana and the Commonwealth summit ahead

The second leg of the Caribbean tour

King Charles III has arrived in Guyana for a two-day state visit — the second leg of his Caribbean tour. The previous leg, in the Bahamas, was described by Buckingham Palace as a 'sensitive balancing act' and a 'diplomatic success'. This is reported by BBC News in a piece by its royal correspondent Daniela Relph.

Themes of the Guyana visit

The main themes of the visit are announced as the environment and sustainable development, as well as growing commercial ties between the UK and Guyana. The King will hold an audience with President Irfaan Ali and attend a state reception marking the 60th anniversary of bilateral relations. The cultural programme features pipers from the National Piping Centre in Scotland. The BBC notes the context: Guyana — formerly British Guiana — is considered the world's fastest-growing economy after the discovery of oil fields in 2015, while more than four-fifths of the country's territory is covered by rainforest with one of the lowest deforestation rates in the world.

The Bahamas: acknowledgement of 'the wrongs of the past' and protests

In the Bahamas, the King met young boxers, environmentalists and politicians, and also joined the dancing at a Junkanoo parade. In the tour's only public speech so far, he mentioned Britain's involvement in the slave trade, acknowledging 'the wrongs of the past'. His representative said the King hoped the visit would be an opportunity to 'celebrate and reaffirm the modern partnership' between the Bahamas and the UK and to 'respectfully acknowledge the great injustices of the past'. According to the BBC, the tour is taking place against the backdrop of renewed calls from Caribbean nations for Britain to apologise for its role in the slave trade and pay reparations. At some events there were protesters holding placards reading 'pay us what you owe us', but their appearance did not disrupt the events.

Up next — the Commonwealth summit

After Guyana, the King will visit Antigua and Barbuda and Bermuda, where he will open a major summit of Commonwealth leaders in his role as head of the 'family of nations'. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) will be held in Antigua and Barbuda from 1 November and, according to the BBC, will discuss the legacy of slavery; the King will deliver a speech as Head of the Commonwealth. The BBC previously, in a separate piece, called this tour potentially 'the biggest risk of his reign' — the combination of the themes of reparations and the legacy of slavery makes the trip diplomatically sensitive, which is also borne out by the palace's assessment of the 'balancing act' in the Bahamas.

Image source, PA Media