King Charles and Queen Camilla attend Independence Parade

Keep calm and “reign” on was the expression to sum up Charles and Camilla’s time at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium last evening. The King and Queen joined hundreds in celebrating 45 years of Antigua and Barbuda’s independence. 

It was brief yet unforgettable. A Caribbean downpour unleashed itself on Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Saint George, last evening during the country’s independence parade, the centrepiece of their Independence Celebrations.

The night brought together the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force (ABDF), of which the King is Commander-in-Chief, the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda (RPFAB), and other uniformed contingents in a display of ceremonial drill marching and national pride.

Crowds awaited the King and Queen’s arrival and cheered as the motorcade rolled onto the pitch. Upon arrival, Their Majesties were met by the Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier General Telbert Benjamin, and the Commissioner of Police of the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda (RPFAB), Everton Jeffers.

It was then that it happened. As the first notes of the national anthem played, one drop turned into a few, then turned into a shower of rain onto the King and Queen as well as the entire parade contingent. The Queen gestured for an umbrella and quickly retreated to the ceremonial dais set up nearby, while the King, also urging for a brolly, was not deterred by the onslaught of rain which the heavens drenched on those below.

The King kept calm and “reigned” on as he walked onto the pitch, in a torrential downpour, to inspect the troops and assembled parade groups, accompanied by the Chief of the Defence Staff and the Commissioner of Police.

As brief as it appeared, it was gone. The King was halfway through the inspection, brolly in hand, when the rain let up. Ironic.

Continuing on, His Majesty walked back to the platform to view the closing sequence.

After briefly reuniting on the ceremonial dais, the King and Queen were jointly presented with National Honourees. The individuals presented have been recognised for their distinguished service to the country and its people across public life, culture, sport, education, and community service.

After the ceremony, King Charles and Queen Camilla were driven to a separate part of the stadium, where they met the “four kings” of cricket royalty — West Indies cricketing knights Sir Viv Richards, Sir Richie Richardson, Sir Andy Roberts, and Sir Curtly Ambrose. The King also held an audience with the Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, after which His Majesty met with the Governor-General, Sir Rodney Williams.

King Charles ended the night solo, attending the ‘One Commonwealth, One Team — A Commonwealth Cricket Celebration’. The mass gathering features a Heads of Government T5 exhibition match, in which Caribbean leaders compete against Heads of Government from the wider Commonwealth, followed by a Commonwealth Future Stars Under-23 T10 Match, showcasing emerging Commonwealth cricketers.

The King was invited to toss a commemorative coin to decide which team would bat or bowl first. The coin’s design was selected through a competition, with the winning design by Rodajah Imani — a 16-year-old Visual Arts and Cultural Production student at the Antigua and Barbuda College of Advanced Studies — who presented the coin to His Majesty. The coin depicts a batsman, inspired by a photograph of former West Indies cricketers Winston Benjamin and Carl Hooper, and features human figures linked together, symbolising Commonwealth partnership. It also depicts a wicket, Antigua’s Shekerley Mountains, the sun and sea, and a frigate bird—the national bird of Antigua and Barbuda.