King Charles makes touching vow about ‘years God grants me’ amid most cancers in landmark speech

King Charles made a heartwarming promise about his duty in “however many years God grants me” in a landmark speech amid cancer treatment.

It came as he addressed the opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) in Samoa, where he also talked about learning lessons from the past. Amid growing calls for reparations for Britain’s role in the slave trade and conversations between affected nations at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm), Charles and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer collaborated on the speech before the King delivered it to world leaders.

The trip to Samoa by the King and Queen Camilla comes as Charles has been undergoing weekly treatment for cancer after being diagnosed in February. He has paused treatment for 11 days while on the trip to Samoa after visiting Australia earlier this week.

And during his speech today, he assured those gathered that he would continue his duties in representing them for as long as he can. He said: “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.”

Charles told how he had listened to communities across the 56 member states and had come to realise “how the most painful aspects of our past continue to resonate”. The gathering of presidents and prime ministers for the (Chogm) could see member states begin a “meaningful conversation” about the issue of reparations for slavery, according to reports.

The King said in his landmark speech: “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.”