King Charles departs Guyana after a whirlwind 27-hour tour, during which he was immersed in Guyanese culture and the country’s role in environmental stewardship.
On the second of a three-country visit, King Charles has now departed Guyana en route to Antigua and Barbuda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, known as CHOGM. Although the King was only in the country for around 27 and a half hours, His Majesty took in the rich, lush scenery along Guyana’s Atlantic coast.
At the start of the visit, King Charles was met at Cheddi Jagan International Airport by the President of Guyana, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali; Head of Protocol, Ambassador Ivan Evelyn; and British High Commissioner, Joseph Fisher, alongside UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and senior Guyanese politicians and officials.
The Band of the Guyana Defence Force performed the British and Guyanese national anthems before His Majesty inspected a Guard of Honour formed by members of the Guyana Defence Force.
The landmark state visit to Guyana is at the invitation of the Guyanese President and at the request of the British government, celebrating 60 years of bilateral relations between the two countries.
On Thursday evening, the King attended a festive state reception, where he watched music and dance performances reflecting Guyanese culture. Those in attendance included Guyanese changemakers, parliamentarians and politicians, young scholars, and British members of the Guyanese diaspora community.
A joint music collaboration was on display when the National Piping Centre of Scotland and the Guyanese Drum Collective performed a piece that left the King tapping along. Members of the National Piping Centre are undertaking their own tour of Guyana to learn about Guyanese music traditions and teach local people how to play the bagpipes.
Friday’s nine engagements began with the King paying tribute to the fallen at Georgetown’s Commonwealth War Graves. The site, established in 1824, includes the Georgetown Timehri Memorial, which pays homage to 24 British Guianese casualties of the two World Wars.
At the 2nd Global Biodiversity Alliance (GBA) Conference, King Charles gave impromptu remarks in which he spoke of his admiration for Guyana’s enduring role in environmental stewardship and said, “People forget it’s not just nature out there; we are a part of that.”
In a non-stop day of engagements, the King then proceeded on a visit to an Umana Yana, an Indigenous thatched structure that traditionally serves as a community gathering place, where His Majesty met the 20 Executive Committee members of the National Toshaos Council – the representative body of Guyana’s Indigenous village leaders. Upon arrival, King Charles was presented with a traditional necklace and met several Indigenous women in ornate headdresses. During his time under the thatched structure, His Majesty listened to the Executive Committee on the experiences, aspirations, opportunities, and challenges facing Indigenous communities, including preserving and promoting Indigenous culture and heritage, as well as community development priorities.
Following the short meeting, the King toured an exhibition showcasing crafts and cultural displays from the nine Indigenous Nations of Guyana. His Majesty met with Indigenous youth musicians, who performed during the visit.
The whirlwind 27-hour stop ended with King Charles greeting members of the public outside one of Georgetown’s most historic landmarks. Kingston Seawall is a vital component of Guyana’s coastal defence system. The Kingston section was built in 1860 and is the oldest part of a continuous barrier extending around 280 miles along Guyana’s Atlantic coast.
King Charles departed Guyana, marking the end of the state visit, at Cheddi Jagan International Airport, where the Guyana Defence Force provided a Guard of Honour.
The British High Commissioner to Guyana, Joseph Fisher, Deputy Defence Attaché to the Caribbean, Squadron Leader Emily-Jane Philpott, Head of Protocol of Guyana, Ambassador Ivan Evelyn, Prime Minister of Guyana, Brigadier Mark Anthony Phillips, Minister for Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation, Hugh Hilton Todd, as well as Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, were all in attendance to bid His Majesty farewell upon departure.
The King will now travel to Antigua and Barbuda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), where Queen Camilla will join him.
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