The King has bade farewell to Samoa, telling his Pacific island hosts he “hopes I survive long enough to come back and see you.”
The King, who has paused his cancer treatment to travel to Australia and Samoa, told islanders “I shall always remain devoted to this part of the world”, as he was honoured with a chief title in the final ceremony of his visit.
He and the Queen sat on golden chairs, under cover from tropical rain, to view a traditional ceremony, including fire dancers.
The people of Siumu village have been hosting the royal visitors for their stay, with villagers walking to their lodgings each day with breakfast.
As they prepared to fly home, the King and Queen were given gifts including a hand-woven mat, garlands, fly whisks, and a traditional war club.
The King was awarded the chiefly title of “To’aiga-O-Tumua” by the village’s high chief, at the end of their third ‘ava’ ceremony in which he sipped from a sacred drink prepared from the roots of the kava plant.
The chief told King Charles that his late mother and “your Papa Prince Philip” had been to Samoa before, adding that this “royal visit has lifted our house.”
At the end of the ceremony, the King was handed a microphone and asked to deliver an unscripted “keynote speech”, during which he thanked Samoa for such a warm welcome, and spoke of his illness.
“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,” he said.
He thanked residents for their “wonderful generosity” bringing gifts of food and “other wonderful things”, and said the royal couple would take away “special memories of our time here”.
“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,” he added.
In their final moments in Samoa, the King and Queen waved from the steps of a Royal Australian Air Force jet.
They left in heavy rain, matching the conditions when they landed in Sydney ten days ago.
