The King has paid his respects to the fallen as he inspected the troops of the Royal Bahamas Defence Drive in a solemn begin to the second day of his tour.
Charles, sporting a set of medals with the Order of Benefit neck order – and, after all, his sun shades – within the vivid warmth of Coral Harbour on the island of New Windfall, spent an hour with the RBDF, chatting with a whole bunch of service males, ladies and veterans.
He laid a wreath on the ‘Flamingo Monument’, which commemorates the 4 Bahamian Marines who died within the sinking of HMBS Flamingo on tenth Could 1980.
A handwritten card, signed Charles R, carried the message ‘in eternal remembrance’.
In his first of six engagements at this time, the King was acquired by Commander Defence Drive, Commodore Floyd Moxey and different dignitaries, with strains of troops ready of their distinctive white uniforms within the solar.
Taking his place on a dais, the King took a Royal Salute from the Guard of Honour and Color Social gathering, shaped by 106 Officers and Marines.
The Band performed a Royal Fanfare and the Nationwide Anthem of The Bahamas, earlier than transferring on to tunes together with I Vow to Thee My Nation and Abide With Me.
The King additionally seen a plaque commemorating his go to, alongside Coronation Medals, which will probably be introduced to Royal Bahamas Defence Drive personnel at a future date.
King Charles smiles on the Royal Bahamas Defence Drive Coral Harbour Base throughout his go to to the Bahamas on Wednesday
The monarch wore a set of medals with the Order of Benefit neck order as he met dignitaries
The King acquired a Royal Salute from the Guard of Honour and Color Social gathering, shaped by 106 Officers and Marines
King Charles with Commander of the Royal Bahamas Defence Drive, Commodore Floyd Moxey
Commodore Moxey and King Charles view Coronation Medals throughout his inspection of troops
Charles spoke with a whole bunch of service males, ladies and veterans on the base
The King is at the moment on a nine-day go to to the Caribbean on the request of the British authorities taking within the Bahamas, Guyana and at last Antigua and Barbuda
Strains of troops waited to greet the British monarch of their distinctive white uniforms
Continuing to the ‘Flamingo Monument’, the King was advised concerning the historical past of HMBS Flamingo, which sunk when it was attacked by Cuban MiG fighter plane, killing Marines Fenrick Sturrup, Austin Smith, David Tucker and Edward Williams.
The King met relations of every of the fallen Marines, and surviving crew member Drive Chief Petty Officer Gregory Curry.
He then stepped onto HMBS Lawrence Main, a 56 metre ‘roll on/roll off’ vessel whose major responsibility is response to pure disasters.
It’s at the moment moored, and stationary when the King was on board with the ship’s Commanding Officer, Commander Alexis Brown.
On board, he spoke to dozens of service and retired service women and men, asking them about their roles and size of service.
Amongst them had been the Ship’s Firm, Catastrophe Danger Administration Unit, retired members of the Defence Drive, RBDF Rangers Youth Programme, Bahamas Nationwide Youth Guards, RBDF veterans, Officers, Warrant Officers, Senior Charges and Marines.
When he stopped to satisfy the Youth Guards, he requested about their backgrounds and advised proud youngsters that they have to be ‘very extremely educated’.
Later within the day, the King hung out viewing conservation initiatives at Bonefish Pond Nationwide Park, highlighting the pressing want for environmental restoration and climate-resilience initiatives in areas such because the Bahamas that are notably weak to local weather change.
He then undertook the primary of two tree plantings of the day, earlier than heading off to The Bahamas Boxing Academy which helps provide alternatives for native children by way of sport.
The King laughed as he was introduced with a T-shirt that includes a muscular rendition of himself sporting boxing shorts, gloves and a crown.
Charles, joined by Prime Minister Philip Davis and minister for sports activities, Mario Bowleg, visited the Bahamas Boxing Academy within the Yellow Elder district of New Windfall.
It opened in April 2026 on the Queen Elizabeth sporting complicated to offer younger Bahamians with alternatives by way of sport, mentoring and schooling.
Davis has championed the academy and described boxing as being deeply rooted within the ‘Bahamian D.N.A.’.
Charles watched a youth boxing session within the coaching space and met younger athletes and their trainers by the boxing luggage, together with Sanai Miller, 12 and his coach, Jermaine Gibson, members of the All Out Boxing Membership who prepare on the academy.
Each wore the black t-shirts emblazoned with a picture of the monarch, in a ‘gloves up’ stance, sporting purple boxing shorts, a boxing vest and a crown.
‘Ha!’ mentioned Charles, pointing and laughing on the shirts. ‘We made one for you, I had it made final evening,’ Jermaine advised him.
Accepting the present, Charles, nonetheless laughing, replied: ‘How beneficiant.’ Afterwards, Gibson mentioned: ‘We gave him certainly one of his personal, he mentioned it was actually good.’
Accompanied by Kieshna Main, the top coach, Charles additionally watched a sparring session with youthful members of the academy, together with Jayda Burrows, 16, who advised him how she does two hours of coaching after faculty most days.
‘And are you getting higher and higher? It seems to be prefer it,’ he advised her.
Charles was then proven mounted pictures on the partitions of Bahamian boxing champions by way of the ages, earlier than heading to the outside boxing ring to see one other sparring session.
He additionally met extra younger boxers, coaches, members of native boxing golf equipment and Bahamas boxing champions, Steve Larrimore, who competed on the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Video games and received Commonwealth and Central American and Caribbean Video games bronze medals in 1982, and Jermaine ‘Chu Chu’ Mackey, whose accolades embrace the Bahamian supermiddlewight title, WBA and WBC Caribbean champion and a Commonwealth title.
Chatting with a bunch of younger kids who additionally prepare on the academy, he mentioned: ‘Is it excuse to get you out of college?’
After spending time shaking fingers with trustees of the academy and Bahamain sports activities figures, Charles unveiled a plaque marking his go to.
Earlier than leaving, he joined the Minister for social providers, Barbara Cartwright, for a personal assembly with wards of the state from an area kids’s residence, who’re supported by the academy and enrolled on its youth boxing programmes.
Elsewhere, Charles was welcomed by the Prime Minister on the Home of Meeting on Parliament Sq. – his second main meet and greet of the tour – and spoke to Bahamian college students concerned along with his King’s Basis constructing programmes earlier than having fun with a celebratory Junkanoo avenue parade.
The King is attending a backyard reception at Authorities Home tonight the place he’ll meet Bahamians who’ve made important contributions to the nation.
Charles seen a plaque commemorating his go to with Commander of the Royal Bahamas Defence Drive, Commodore Floyd Moxey
Charles laid a wreath on the Flamingo Monument in tribute to the 4 Bahamian Marines who misplaced their lives within the sinking of HMBS Flamingo on tenth Could 1980 after being attacked by a Cuban MiG fighter
King Charles met members of the RBDF Rangers Youth Programme onboard HMBS Lawrence Main at Coral Harbour Base
A detailed-up of the medals worn by King Charles. Pictured left to proper: Queen’s Service medal (New Zealand), Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal, Silver Jubilee Medal, Golden Jubilee Medal, Diamond Jubilee Medal, Platinum Jubilee Medal, Naval Lengthy Service and Good Conduct Medal, Canadian Forces Ornament, New Zealand Commemorative Medal and New Zealand Armed Forces Award
King Charles was escorted in the direction of the ‘Flamingo Monument’. Pictured: The King with Commodore Floyd Moxey
Members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Drive lined up forward of the arrival of King Charles at Coral Harbour Base
HMBS Flamingo sunk when it was attacked by a Cuban MiG fighter plane
The King met relations of every of the fallen Marines, and surviving crew member Drive Chief Petty Officer Gregory Curry
Charles walks alongside a picket boardwalk by way of the mangrove ecosystem at Bonefish Pond Nationwide Park in New Windfall, the Bahamas
The King noticed first-hand the restoration of the Bonefish Pond Nationwide Park’s distinctive wetland ecosystem
Bonefish Pond accommodates mangrove forest, tidal creeks, and seagrass habitat, that are residence to fish and shorebirds
King Charles is at the moment on a nine-day go to to the Caribbean on the request of the British authorities taking within the Bahamas, Guyana and at last Antigua and Barbuda, the place he will probably be joined by Prime Minister Andy Burnham for the Commonwealth Heads of Authorities Assembly (CHOGM).
The journey is, nevertheless, being dogged by calls from native campaigners for a proper apology from the British authorities over the nation’s position within the historic transatlantic slave commerce and reparations.
The King, who acts on the recommendation of his ministers, addressed the thorny subject inside hours of touchdown on Tuesday evening saying: ‘It’s only proper that we must always acknowledge the good struggling of the previous, in these islands and past.’
Though he stopped wanting providing an apology or monetary compensation in step with authorities coverage, aides say His Majesty will ‘not draw back’ from addressing the rising clamour that threatens to overshadow his go to to the Bahamas, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda this week.
A spokesman for the King made clear he would face ‘essentially the most shameful elements of our previous’.
Whether or not will probably be sufficient stays to be seen, with the Bahamas Nationwide Reparations Committee having already warned him: ‘Do not come empty-handed.’
Buckingham Palace insists that His Majesty is ‘alive’ to the native energy of feeling, notably given his position each as Head of the Commonwealth and as monarch in two of the nations he’s visiting, the Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda, the place requires motion by the UK have been rising. ‘His Majesty will as standard not search to disregard the previous,’ an aide mentioned.
Because of this, he’ll deal with the ‘backdrop of wider discussions on colonial legacy’ head-on in numerous his speeches, in addition to visiting websites with historic hyperlinks to slavery.
However he’ll proceed to be conscious of the British authorities’s agency line on the matter which, whereas acknowledging the ‘abhorrence’ of the historic transatlantic slave commerce and its legacy that endures at this time, firmly rejects calls for for compensation because it was not unlawful on the time.
Any official apology from the King could possibly be seen as opening the floodgates to billions in claims towards the UK.
