Charles found the visit to Australia and Samoa “the perfect tonic” (Image: Getty)
King Charles and Queen Camilla will resume a full schedule of royal tours next year as Charles found the visits to Australia and Samoa “the perfect tonic” to his ongoing cancer treatment.
A Senior Palace official said the King has “genuinely loved” the nine-day tour and “thrived” on the busy programme of engagements.
They added that it has lifted “his spirits, his mood and his recovery. In that sense, the tour – despite its demands – has been the perfect tonic.”
Charles paused his cancer treatment for his first long-haul trip since his diagnosis in February, and will resume his course upon his return to the UK early next week.
The location of the Spring and Autumn schedules has not been confirmed, as that decision will be made by the Foreign Office. The tour will need to be approved by the Foreign Secretary, Prime Minister – and the King’s doctors – but this the plan is in motion is a reassuring step in Charles’ cancer recovery.
King Charles and Queen Camilla will resume a normal schedule of royal tours next year (Image: Getty)
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The Senior Palace official said: “We’re now working on a pretty normal looking full overseas tour program for next year, which is a high for us to end on, to know that we can be thinking in those terms – subject to sign off by doctors.
“It is hard to overstate the joy that he takes from duty and service and being in public and seeing those crowds engaging with communities across the spectrum. That really does lift the spirits. You can see that.”
It comes as the King and Queen waved goodbye to Samoa on Saturday morning by attending a farewell ceremony at a village twinned with the UK for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) hosted by the Pacific island.
Villages around the Samoan capital Apia are twinned with each of the 56 member states of the Commonwealth, flying the flags of the countries they have adopted, with street furniture painted in the national colours.
In his impromptu speech Charles said: “We’ve been so impressed by the beautiful way in which all the villages have decorated the roadsides, it is something very special about Samoa.”
He thanked residents for their “wonderful generosity” bringing gifts of food and “other wonderful things”, and said the royal couple would take away “special memories of our time here”.
King Charles and Queen Camilla left Samoa on Saturday morning (Image: Getty)
The King concluded: “I shall always remain devoted to this part of the world and hope that I survive long enough to come back and see you.
Their Majesties arrived at the village in the middle of a downpour, which drenched villagers and elders gathered for the ceremony.
The King was honoured with the chiefly title of To’aiga-O-Tumua by the village’s high chief, as he and Camilla were presented with sacred kava in coconut shells with straws.
“May God bless this kava,” Charles said as he lifted the cup and drank.
The chief told His Majesty: “Your papa, Prince Philip, was here, so thank you for making the time. Your royal visit has lifted our house.”
The wet weather continued as they made their way to the airport and sheltered under umbrellas as they boarded their plane home – ending their tour in the same weather conditions as their arrival at a rain-drenched Sydney.
Camilla went ahead of her husband, who chatted to dignitaries for a few minutes before joining his wife at the top of the steps and they both waved goodbye to the Pacific nation.
A new official portrait of Their Majesties was released on the Royal Family social channels on Saturday night to mark their state visit to Samoa, taken by Getty royal photographer Chris Jackson on a beach on Friday morning.
Accompanying the new pictures, the King and Queen said: “As our visits to Australia and Samoa come to a close, my wife and I would like to thank both nations for the warmest of welcomes and for the countless fond memories we will carry in our hearts for many years to come.
“Even when we are far apart in distance, the many close connections that unite us across the globe and through our Commonwealth family have been renewed, and will remain as profound as they are enduring. Charles R. and Camilla R.”
The Queen is understood to have been an unwavering support to her husband throughout the exhausting tour.
“The King gets great strength from the Queen being there, not least because when she keeps it real,” a senior Palace official said.
Charles and Camilla spent three nights in Samoa where Charles officially opened his first CHOGM since becoming Head of the so-called family of nations.
He packed in a busy schedule of up to 10 engagements in a day, as he was determined to go ahead with the trip despite his diagnosis.
A Senior Palace aide said: “I think it is a great testament to the King’s devotion to service and duty that he was prepared to come this far and he was incredibly happy and very, very determined to do so.”
The King and Queen’s final morning was met with heavy downpours (Image: Getty)
The King also continued to receive important documents in the famous red boxes which had been flown in for him to sort through with his Private Secretary.
But the couple also enjoyed some time for rest and relaxation in the beautiful locations they stayed in, going for short walks and reading. Though one source joked: “The King considers reading his briefs as downtime.”
It is understood that the workaholic King resisted attempts by aides to lighten the schedule, as he believes looking after his “mind, body and soul” is important to his overall recovery.
The senior aide added: “It is also a great measure of the way that the King is dealing with the diagnosis, and he’s a great believer in mind, body and soul.
“This combination works very well on a visit like this, because he feels that sense of duty so strongly that to keep his mind and his soul engaged, and then the doctor is here to make sure that his body is properly looked after.
“You’ve got what makes for a very successful visit in these circumstances.”
King Charles gave an impromptu speech on his final day in Samoa (Image: Getty)
The King and Queen are understood to have greatly enjoyed their six days in Australia and four days in Samoa and are keen to travel more of the world next year.
In his speech at a dinner on the last night of his stay, Charles spoke of his lifelong aspiration to visit every country in the Commonwealth.
“It remains a lifelong aspiration to have visited all the countries of the Commonwealth,” he told guests at an official dinner for the Commonwealth Heads of Government.
“Although nowadays it seems to be a race against our rapidly increasing numbers – as well as doctors orders.”
His first viist to Australia since his accession has also been widely hailed as a success, with local press celebrating the visit and Palace aides congratluating a job well done.
Charles made sure he was addressing potential issues and topics head on, with the senior palace aide adding: “It’s very easy to run away from some of these issues. But the King isn’t one for doing that.
“He is always someone who wants to understand before he says anything. He’s a listener more than he’s a talker.”
Queen Camilla burst into a fit of giggles as the torrential rain came down (Image: Getty)
The King is keen to leave a legacy from each of his tours, which is why he launched the King’s Commonwealth Fellowship Programme in Samoa on Thursday.
It will offer fellowships to mid-career professionals, undergraduate scholarships, and PhDs, to candidates based in Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
It has been inspired by His Majesty’s life’s work to create opportunity and to tackle contemporary challenges including climate change and inequality.
“The idea of these tours always is to leave a trace behind,” a senior palace officials said.
“And that was why the king was very keen that those legacy projects should be launched while we were here.”
As the Palace gears up for Spring and Autumn tours next year we can expect more legacy projects to be announced as the King aims to build on his four C’s: climate, community, culture and Commonwealth.