The King has become the first reigning British monarch to visit Bermuda in the territory’s 400-year history, drawing laughter from a garden party crowd as he told them: “I am terribly sorry it has taken so long!”
Speaking at Government House on Friday evening, where he stayed during his two-day visit, Charles said it was “to his amazement” that he had only recently learned no sovereign had ever set foot on the island while reigning. Raising a toast, he told guests: “I need hardly say that Bermuda, like all the Overseas Territories, is a most cherished and important member of the British family – with a friendship as solid as this so-called ‘Rock’.” The King also drew smiles by noting that the recently refurbished residence still smelled of fresh paint.
The 77-year-old monarch, who is still undergoing cancer treatment, flew to Bermuda from Washington on Thursday following his state visit to the United States. He carried out eight public engagements on Friday alone, travelling without Queen Camilla, who returned to the UK on a commercial flight under what officials described as a long-standing arrangement.
Among the more striking moments of the trip was a high-speed outing with the Bermuda Coast Guard. The King boarded a Fast Inshore Patrol Boat at the dockyard and tore through the bay at speeds of up to 50mph, accompanied by his protection officers and senior staff in life jackets. As he boarded, one man toasted him with a glass of rosé from a nearby boat, calling out “God save the King”, while two further vessels of well-wishers waved Bermudan and Union flags.
During the trip he was briefed by the Coast Guard’s Commanding Officer, Major Jeffrey Patterson, on the unit’s role in protecting life at sea and tackling illegal fishing and smuggling. Established in 2020, the Royal Bermuda Regiment Coast Guard has rapidly become an internationally recognised force, having received elite training from both UK and US counterparts.
The final day of the visit was set to focus on science, security and service. The King was due to launch the UK Space Agency’s Project Nova, an initiative aimed at tracking space debris through telescope installations across five sites worldwide, including a new UKSA observatory on the island. The programme is designed to help monitor objects such as defunct satellites and discarded rocket stages.
Charles was also scheduled to open the new Great Bay Coast Guard Station, where he would learn more about the regiment’s work protecting Bermuda’s territorial waters and marine environment, and view its new unmanned underwater vehicles and drones. Young people from the regiment’s Junior Leader programme were due to meet the monarch to discuss their involvement, before he presented operational service medals to five regiment members in recognition of their commitment to defending the island.
The visit marks the King’s first return to Bermuda in more than five decades. He last travelled there in 1970, when he delivered the Speech from the Throne at St Peter’s Church to mark the 350th opening of the island’s parliament. The same church was designated “Their Majesties Chappell” during Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee year in 2012, in recognition of Bermuda’s 400th anniversary.
