Photo: DPI Guyana
"We are part of nature": King Charles' final day in Guyana
King Charles honoured fallen soldiers, praised Guyana for protecting its rainforest and met Indigenous leaders on his final day in the country. He ended by seeing how mangroves are being planted to protect the capital from the sea.
King Charles had a packed programme on Friday, the second and final day of his state visit to Guyana. He honoured fallen soldiers, attended a major biodiversity conference, met Indigenous leaders and finished at the seawall in the capital Georgetown, before flying on to Antigua and Barbuda.
The evening before, President Irfaan Ali hosted a reception for the King in the gardens of State House, with music and dance from across the country. There the King also tasted a rum made in his honour, called "Royal Welcome".
Honouring the fallen
The day began at the war memorial in Georgetown, where the King and Prime Minister Mark Phillips laid wreaths in memory of soldiers from Guyana, Britain and the wider Commonwealth who lost their lives in service. The King is patron of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which looks after the graves.
According to the AFP news agency, the King also paused at a site in the city where dozens of people were publicly executed after the Demerara slave rebellion of 1823.
"We are part of that"
The King then attended a biodiversity conference with President Ali and Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo. There he praised Guyana for having kept most of its rainforest intact.
"You've managed to keep an enormous percentage of your forests. That is an incredible achievement and, of course, deserves to be rewarded," the King said.
He also warned that deforestation and the loss of nature threaten our health and the future of coming generations.
"People forget it's not just nature out there; we are part of that," he said.
The King has supported Guyana's work to protect its rainforest since 2008, when as Prince of Wales he gave a speech about the country in London. President Ali thanked him for it. "Your Majesty, we have not disappointed you," the President said. The King's Foundation will now help, among other things, with the renewal of Georgetown.
Meeting Indigenous leaders
At the Umana Yana, a traditional Indigenous meeting place in Georgetown, the King met leaders of the country's National Toshaos Council. Toshao is the name for the elected leaders of Indigenous villages. The King was given a traditional necklace, tried out a traditional bow and viewed an exhibition of arts and crafts from the country's nine Indigenous nations.
Mangroves against the sea
The final engagement was at the seawall in the Kingston district. The wall runs along the coast and protects the low-lying land from the Atlantic, and the Kingston section is the oldest, dating from 1860. Together with First Lady Arya Ali, her son Zayd and Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, the King heard how new mangrove forest is to stop the coast being worn away and the city from flooding. Finally he greeted people who had gathered along the promenade.
On to Antigua
In Guyana too, the visit was accompanied by calls for Britain to apologise for slavery. At the Umana Yana, protesters could be heard in the distance.
After a guard of honour at the airport, the King flew on to Antigua and Barbuda. There Queen Camilla joins him, and he opens the Commonwealth summit, CHOGM 2026, which runs from 1 to 4 November.