Charles welcomed in Samoa with traditional tea ceremony and ‘high chief’ title – Royal family news

Reparations for the slave trade could be discussed as Commonwealth heads of government convene in Samoa for the leaders’ summit.

British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer touched down Samoa overnight on Thursday for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm).

The Commonwealth leaders are expected to agree plans to discuss reparations as they look at an agreement which could open up the conversation through a communique, the BBC reported.

It comes despite Downing Street previously claiming the issue would not be on the agenda.

Mr Starmer said ahead of travelling to the Pacific island: “On the question of which way we’re facing I think we should be facing forward,” he told reporters.

“I’ve talked to a lot of our Commonwealth colleagues in the Commonwealth family and they’re facing real challenges on things like climate in the here and now.”

While reparations are not formally on the agenda, conversations on the wording for a communique are possible.

Britain’s prime minister Keir Starmer, who is attending the summit, has faced pressure from some lawmakers in the governing Labour Party to consider the prospect. But his government says it is not up for discussion.

“Reparations are not on the agenda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting,” Sir Starmer’s spokesperson, Dave Pares, said ahead of the summit.

“The government’s position has not changed. We do not pay reparations.”Britain would not be offering an apology for slavery at the summit, Mr Pares said. He also rejected suggestions that the Commonwealth’s importance has diminished.

The summit would “bring together delegations from 56 countries representing a combined market for British business set to be worth $19.5 trillion by 2027,” Mr Pares said.

King Charles is expected to helm a major meeting of leaders from Commonwealth countries in Samoa, including many that once had colonial ties to Britain.

His presence is likely to prompt uneasy questions – as it did in Australia – about the role of the British crown in the histories and aspirations of its former territories.

The Commonwealth is seen by some as a vestige of empire with an uncertain mission in the 21st century, and discussions about colonization among its members have intensified in recent years.

All three candidates to become the organization’s next Secretary-General – from Ghana, Lesotho and Gambia – have urged financial reparations for the past enslavement of colonised people.

In the dark, dozens of people lined a narrow road near the Samoan fishing village of Siumu, gathering near a sign bearing a portrait of King Charles and waiting excitedly for a glimpse of the real monarch.

A buzz surged through the crowd as a motorcade appeared Wednesday, bearing the first British king to visit a Pacific Island nation.

Hands waved briefly from rolled-down windows and those standing in just the right spot managed to catch a glimpse of the king’s face. Then the monarch and his wife, Queen Camilla, were gone.

The royals had arrived earlier Wednesday evening from a visit to Australia.

“All people in Samoa are very excited,” said Numio Faoagali, a garbage collector from Siumu who had spent three days cleaning and decorating his house with a Union flag and bunting. He hoped that Charles, who is staying at a resort nearby, might see it.

“It’s the first time to see the king. We’ve only seen him on the TV, not here in Samoa,” he said.

The Polynesian country of Samoa is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change including tropical cyclones and storm surges, flooding, and more severe and longer-lasting droughts like other Small Island Developing States.

Moata’a village was chosen to welcome the royals after the area was badly affected by flooding in 2018 and in response the community’s council developed a plan for future natural disasters and has established a mangrove conservation area which the King visited.

Moata’a village chief Tofaeono Lupati Fuatai said: “The King is the perfect advocate for us as a nation. Climate change is real, it is now and we must urge the world to acknowledge how perilous it is for nations such as ours.”

Britain cannot afford to be “protectionist” as it attempts to boost growth, Sir Keir Starmer has warned, as he seeks to tap into the Commonwealth’s 19 trillion US dollar “economic heft”.

The prime minister is set to arrive in Samoa as the clock turns midnight on Thursday UK time for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm).

His arrival comes amid a row about reparations for the UK’s historical role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, but Sir Keir has insisted the Commonwealth needs to face forward, not look backward.

Sir Keir will make history as the first UK prime minister to have visited a Pacific island nation, and will be in the company of King Charles, the head of the Commonwealth, during the gathering.

The King was dressed Samoan-style for a day of ceremonies welcoming him and the Queen to the island nation for a state visit.

Charles swapped his trademark tailored suit for a short-sleeved white jacket and trousers he designed himself as he was honoured with a new title, sipped a symbolic drink and was presented with a pig for feasting.

Samoa’s head of state and his village afforded the King the highest accolade by staging an ava ceremony where the drink, prepared by the statesman’s daughter from powdered ava root and representing community unity, was presented to Charles.

The ceremony was held at the National University of Samoa, in a falesamoa, a large open-air covered hall made from huge timbers and guarded by a ring of malosi ole nuu, bare-chested orators armed with sticks of their office and wearing sarongs and garlands.