LONDON (AP) — King Charles III should be prepared to dance when he visits Samoa this week.
Freddie Tuilagi made sure of that when he visited St. James' Palace recently wearing nothing but a bark cloth wrap and a necklace historically worn by orator chiefs. Charles, in a blue suit and carefully knotted tie, grinned while gamely trying to follow along as Samoa’s honorary consul to the U.K. moved through the steps of a traditional dance.
“He loves it. He said he wants to learn the dance,” Tuilagi said afterward, showing off his moves once again.
Tuilagi, who moved to Britain to play professional rugby, said the 75-year-old king can expect more of the same when he arrives in the South Pacific island nation on Wednesday. Villagers throughout the country of 220,000 people have taken steps to decorate and show how much they appreciate Charles’ visit, he said.
Charles, the symbolic head of the Commonwealth, is traveling to Samoa for a meeting of top government officials from each of the 56 independent nations that make up the organization. At the top of the agenda is the fight against climate change, an issue Charles has championed for decades.
The king can count on Samoans to be receptive. Its islands are at the forefront of the climate emergency, facing increasing threats from rising sea levels, warming ocean temperatures and more intense storms.
The royal visit is attracting global media attention. Many Samoans hope that images of the king and Queen Camilla strolling on the islands’ breathtaking beaches will help attract European tourists and boost the economy.
“It’s an opportunity to showcase our culture, showcase our heritage and how ... proud (of) that we are as a country,’’ Tuilagi told The Associated Press. "To host the king and the leaders of the Pacific, you know, the Commonwealth coming to Samoa is something special for us.’’
Before his Samoa trip, Charles visited Australia, where not everyone welcomed him. On Monday, Sen. Lidia Thorpe, shouted "you are not my king,'' at a parliamentary reception for the king to protest the former British Empire's treatment of Indigenous peoples and to call on Australia to sever ties with the monarchy.
But Samoa has a different relationship with the monarchy. Unlike Australia, Samoa is not one of the 14 independent countries outside the United Kingdom where the British monarch remains the head of state.
Tuilagi said he hopes his demonstration of Samoan dance and song will help the king when he arrives. He particularly hoped that he would make an impression since he wore national dress, which includes leaving the shirt at home.
Think joy. That's Tuilagi's point.
“It’s not every day the king will see a chief from Samoa topless ... at the palace,’’ he said, chuckling.
Danica Kirka, The Associated Press
