King Charles admits ‘medical doctors orders’ have halted lifelong wish amid most cancers therapy
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.
