King Charles admits ‘doctors orders’ have halted lifelong wish amid cancer treatment

King Charles has hosted a dinner for delegates after officially opening the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) in Samoa, where he spoke about one of his ‘lifelong aspirations’

King Charles has told of his ‘lifelong aspiration’ to visit all 56 countries in the Commonwealth, but joked how royal doctors were holding him back.

Hosting a dinner of delegates from the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) in Samoa, Charles said his task had been made ever harder due to more countries joining the family of nations. In what was the only evening engagement of their nine-day visit to Australia and Samoa, the King and Queen Camilla embraced island life once more by dressing casually for the event at Robert Louis Stevenson’s former home on the Pacific island. On the royals’ final night in the country which has embraced the couple, Charles spoke warmly of his affection for the family of nations, saying: “The Commonwealth can surely be a source of hope.”

He added that while “dark clouds gathered”, international challenges required international solutions and that “dialogue and discussio” was the way to achieve peace. Amid growing calls for reparations for Britain’s role in the slave trade, the King earlier in the day appeared to tackle the contentious issue by saying “none of us can change the past”.

At the Chogm opening ceremony Charles urged world leaders to “commit with all our hearts to learning its lessons” while he urged every nation to understand each other’s history “to guide us to make the right choices in the future”.

In a personal and heartfelt address, Charles also revealed how he had come to recognise through listening to people across the 56 represented nations “how the most painful aspects of our past continue to resonate”. In his landmark speech he said: “As we look around the world and consider its many deeply concerning challenges, let us choose within our Commonwealth family the language of community and respect, and reject the language of division.

“None of us can change the past. But we can commit, with all our hearts to learning its lessons and to finding creative ways to right inequalities that endure.” Charles, who has been undergoing weekly treatment for cancer after being diagnosed in February, also assured those gathered that he would continue his duties in representing them for as long as he is able.

He added: “For my part, I can assure you today that for however many years God grants me, I will join you and the people of the Commonwealth on every step of this journey. Let us learn from the lessons of the past. Let us be proud of who we are today. And together, let us forge a future of harmony with nature, and between ourselves, that our children and our grandchildren deserve.”

At the evening dinner the King, said that he had first come to Samoa in the 1970s on board HMS Jupiter which he said revealed “how unbelievably old I am”. He also spoke of the joy of returning to Samoa to deepen his understanding of the country and said that the singing by local performers at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth summit earlier in the day had “raised my spirits to the roof and made me feel unbelievably happy”.

Before taking to his feet in a more informal, pre-dinner speech in the evening, the President of Guyana Dr Irfaan Ali praised the King’s “willingness to engage in difficult conversations that will enable us to learn from a sometimes difficult past while we carve a future as a commonwealth of equal partners.”

As part of the King and Queen’s last full day of engagements on the Pacific Island before they begin their return home later tomorrow, Charles today also welcomed Prime Minister Keir Starmer alongside eight other new heads of government.

The select group of leaders, including the prime ministers of New Zealand, Lesotho and Fiji, took up their posts since the last Chogm in Rwanda in 2022. Under a beach hut by the water’s edge of the stunning Taumeasina Island Resort, the King shook hands with each of the new leaders and welcomed them to the Commonwealth family.

Standing against a stunning turquoise blue sea backdrop, the King dressed in a beige linen suit and tie thanked his guests one by one in a line up, as they were introduced to him by Tony Johnstone-Burt, Master of the Household. The British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer was the last to join the party and praised the King for his speech at the Chogm opening ceremony.

In a warm exchange, the prime minister told Charles it was a “great speech”, to which the King replied “Well, it was very long”. Sir Keir assured the King “it was great” when the King thanked the PM “for taking a look at it”.

World leaders will tomorrow elect the new Commonwealth secretary-general to replace Baroness Scotland. All three candidates vying for the job have called for reparations to countries that were affected by slavery and colonialism.