King Charles III has arrived in Samoa for his first Commonwealth summit as monarch, aiming to revitalize a bloc that critics label as “a leftover of empire.”
He landed in the coastal capital of Apia, located between New Zealand and Hawaii, following a six-day visit to Australia that was shortened due to his cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
The biennial meeting will gather around 3,000 delegates from the 56-nation group, primarily composed of former British colonies.
This conference is the first to be held by a Pacific Island nation, providing an “extraordinary” opportunity to highlight the region, according to Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland.
