King Charles to Samoa: I ‘hope I survive long enough to come back & see you’

Here are some photos from King Charles and Queen Camilla’s final event in Samoa, before they jetted off on Saturday. There was a farewell ceremony and then a little event on the tarmac, where Charles and Camilla were supposed to make formal goodbyes to various officials. I’ve seen the videos of Camilla ditching the formal goodbyes and staggering up to the plane ahead of Charles though. Camilla was also in particularly rude form at the farewell ceremony. She was given (?) a large fan and she kept holding the fan over her face to smirk and laugh at the Samoans. The Samoans were doing some kind of performance or ceremony and this horrid woman wouldn’t stop laughing at “the natives.” I’m including some of the clips at the end of the post. Meanwhile, Charles’s big farewell speech was pretty rough:

The King has bade farewell to Samoa, telling his Pacific island hosts he “hopes I survive long enough to come back and see you.” The King, who has paused his cancer treatment to travel to Australia and Samoa, told islanders “I shall always remain devoted to this part of the world”, as he was honoured with a chief title in the final ceremony of his visit. He and the Queen sat on golden chairs, under cover from tropical rain, to view a traditional ceremony, including fire dancers.

At the end of the ceremony, the King was handed a microphone and asked to deliver an unscripted “keynote speech”, during which he thanked Samoa for such a warm welcome, and spoke of his illness.

“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 said. 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…I shall always remain devoted to this part of the world and hope that I survive long enough to come back again and see you.”

In their final moments in Samoa, the King and Queen waved from the steps of a Royal Australian Air Force jet. They left in heavy rain, matching the conditions when they landed in Sydney ten days ago.

[From The Telegraph]

I think Charles leaned into the “this could be my last big tour” narrative because it legitimately garnered him more sympathetic coverage. Even some of the monarchy’s biggest critics pulled some of their punches because Charles is a 75-year-old man with cancer. It also sounds like the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting actually did not go well at all and the British press is trying desperately to avoid acknowledging that. More than a dozen commonwealth countries didn’t even send high-level representatives to the meeting, and the commonwealth countries agreed to a statement about the case for reparations, much to the dismay of the palace and Downing Street. To top it all off, the ten-day tour was Exhibit A of Why Camilla Is Not a Diplomatic Asset.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

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81 Responses to “King Charles to Samoa: I ‘hope I survive long enough to come back & see you’”

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  1. Teagirl says:

    I don’t know why I’m surprised that Camilla’s rudeness, I should be used to it by now.
    As for Charles, I’m astounded he knows how to close an umbrella considering how much is normally done for him by servants.

    IMHO He played the cancer card so that people would be kinder to him and his wife about the visit.

    • What an uncouth bitch to laugh at the people performing things from their culture!!! She is a miserable racist who doesn’t even hide that fact. As for Chuckles speech it probably was his last one there. This tour was a flop.

      • Teddy says:

        Uncouth is the perfect word. It also looks like she keeps trying to get him to smirk along with her. What an awful human being, and the love of his life.

      • Jaded says:

        I love that Charles ignores her, completely stone-faced, while she snickers and smirks and tries to catch his attention. Nice try Cams, you just humiliated an entire culture but you humiliated yourself as well.

      • Smart&Messy says:

        She was trying to get him to smirk, because behind closed doors he probably does.

    • goofpuff says:

      She’s probably drunk the entire time. She definitely acts like it.

      • Kane says:

        I think that’s why she ran up the stairs. Incase she fell she didn’t want all eyes on her. The same reason she ran up the stairs during the commonwealth cermony. It was windy and she was drunk.

  2. Beana says:

    Charles: “I hope that I shall survive long enough to come back and see you.”
    Narrator: “He did not survive. And, because this meant they would never have to see his rude wife again, no one was sorry.”

    • Jan90067 says:

      So pathetic to play a “guilt” card. And HER! Not only did she LOOK three sheets to the wind, she ACTED that way, too, with the snickering, and hiding behind that fan. Trash, both of them!

    • Lau says:

      “Don’t leave the Commonwealth while I’m still alive. You can wait for when my son is king.” Charles definitely believes in the afterlife because he can’t wait to make fun of William’s messy reign.

      • HeyitsJudy says:

        Only 3 countries have left the commonwealth, and all 3 countries asked to return, which was accepted. There is no obligation to stay in it

    • Debbie says:

      All these comments, from @Beana, @Jan and @Lau, are right on! So, Charles, the king of a country that’s famously reticent to show emotions, prides itself on it, in fact, “stiff upper lip” and all that, just opens his purse and spills all the emotional contents to the public while on tour by reminding people of his medical diagnosis? Absolutely he’s going for the sympathy vote, the old coward. As for his wife, the only thing I can say about Camilla is: “The face she deserves,” if you know what I mean. Good riddance to them both, and she IS one of the most privileged and uncouth people in public life.

  3. Miranda says:

    My God, Camilla was shockingly rude, even by her standards. For all the wailing and gnashing of teeth over Spare, I have yet to see them point out a single case where Harry lied or even exaggerated about anything or anyone, including this cow.

    • Noor says:

      Where is the protocol police , the body language experts and the tabloids pen writers?
      1. Should the King of UK and the Commonwealth be seen clutching the shoes for his consort while she goes barefooted.
      2.Should the Queen Consort dissolve in fits of giggles at the Samoan dance ceremony performed in pouring rain
      3 Should the Queen Consort shake people hands without looking at them

      • Noor says:

        To add another protocol breaking behavior
        4 Should the Queen Consort impatiently board the plane while the King is still saying goodbye to his Samoan hosts

    • Lau says:

      Literally the word that came to my mind while reading this article was “disgusting”, she has zero respect.

    • MY3CENTS says:

      She’s acting like a spoiled 2 year old,
      What a piece of flaming trash.
      Guess this is from the ole charm offense play book by WanK.

  4. Fastgran50 says:

    Wait for it.BIG BM headlines this morning it’s a miracle Charles was so so invigorated and was so popular on this royal tour he’s going full steam ahead for more tours next year.One side of royal or Charles is on his last legs next from his side he’s had a miracle and he’s raring to go with more duties. I am getting to the point that I cannot believe anything that comes out from any of the palaces.They are taking the public for idiots as they play their stupid power games.

  5. Newname says:

    This is not a new behaviour. When they visited Canada some years back they both laughed and giggled as our beautiful Inuit throat singers performed. Throat singing is an important part of Inuit culture. It was very insulting and rude. They continue their immature and unprofessional behaviour in Samoa. Samoa deserved better!

    • Someone_Hears_a_Who says:

      The ridiculous thing about them laughing during the Inuit throat singing performance is that there is an appropriate time to laugh: after one of the performers screws up. But no, they could not even wait till the appropriate time (also you are laughing with the performers, not at them).

    • Noo says:

      @newname totally agree about Camilla’s classless and ignorant response to throat singing.

      Would you consider dropping “our” from any reference to Indigenous Peoples? As part of anti-oppressive language shifts and because settler people do not own Indigenous Peoples.

      • BeanieBean says:

        I’m glad you said this, otherwise I would have. I do not understand why so many Canadians refer to First Nations people as ‘our’. For all our faults, I’ve never heard Americans refer to any Native Americans as ‘our’.

    • Jaded says:

      I’d love to see Mary Simon, our Inuit Governor General, knock Cam down to size if they ever deign to set foot in Canada again and meet with Inuit and First Nations peoples. She doesn’t suffer fools like Cam lightly.

  6. Steph says:

    One of the BM Twitter accounts used stills of her laughing but captioned it “she was moved to tears as Charles said he hopes he lives long enough to return.” A complete brazen lie. It was insane.

    Did you see the pics of her walking around barefoot and Charles holding her shoes? I know a lot of you blame her stumbling on alcohol (which can definitely be part of it) but I think she really does have bad feet and she can’t be on them for long periods of time.

    • Nerd says:

      That isn’t a sufficient excuse since she has never been seen doing this before and she has the option of wearing more comfortable shoes like flats to any of these events instead of choosing to walk around barefoot. She’s been doing royal engagements for too long not to prepare for standing for long periods of time by bringing shoes that are conducive to walking or standing for long stretches of time. That was tacky because that is who she is. She doesn’t care enough to think beyond herself and how she makes herself, her husband and the monarchy look by disrespecting the host countries. That’s why she has managed to always laugh in the faces of those who host her… she doesn’t care.

      • BeanieBean says:

        Agreed. She could wear good walking sneakers the way Queen Letizia has. She’s a queen, she could wear whatever the heck she wants. And I know Camilla doesn’t care, and I’m not sure about Samoa, but in some cultures walking around in bare feet would be considered offensive.

      • MissF says:

        Pretty sure the old mare wears only bespoke shoes, likely from Gina. They should be as comfortable as a pair of Sketchers, Christ the Queen used to get the odious Angela Kelly to break her new shoes in. Cams is just crass, plastered and believes that because she’s royalty by marriage, her behaviour is acceptable. It isn’t.

    • Where'sMyTiara says:

      If the heels are a problem, she should have alerted her farrier to the issue so they could get her comfortable walking shoes. If Her Late Maj could possess that much common sense, surely Seabiscuit can manage it.

      These are supposedly the most catered two duo in the world. There was ZERO excuse for not showing up prepared. CHOGM dates were decided months in advance, they’ve had months to sort out what to pack for this trip.

      And the shoe situation doesn’t explain why she and Cluck have to put their vile racism on display for the entire world to see.

      • Steph says:

        I’m not excusing her behavior. It’s an explanation. As to the proper shoes, sometime in Twitter used a pic of one of the older Windsor women (Kent, Gloucester?) wearing very clean white sneakers for an event. Personally, I think if she’s too embarrassed to make accommodations for herself then she should do what the queen did and keep her ass home. She looks rude and drunk staggering around like that. One day she’s going to be supposed to be greeting the public and she’s going to be wincing. Since they won’t publicly admit she’s in pain is going to look like she’s wincing at the people. It’s going to look so bad.

      • Where'sMyTiara says:

        She didn’t seem like she was having too much foot pain when she was sat there like an absolute jackass, on a literal golden throne mocking and tittering about her indigenous hosts from behind her fan. Just sayin’.

        If she was in discomfort, good. After what she’s done to that family, and to H&M and Diana especially, she deserves to be uncomfortable. May she never know peace.

      • KIRK says:

        😂😂😂 “she should have alerted her farrier,” 😂😂😂

  7. Tessa says:

    Camilla looks awful in those closeups even though there was airbrushing
    Sitting on those gold chairs is cringeworthy. Charles goes in for self pity as always.

  8. Tessa says:

    Charles has the best medical care does not have to worry about hospital bills and he insisted on going on these trips. His self pity comments are patronizing insulting to cancer patients. As I am writing this the news reporter said Charles plans to return to full time work next year

  9. Alicky says:

    Camz: ugly inside and out.

  10. Tessa says:

    Charles rejected diana now Charles has the spouse he richly deserves.

    • Andromeda says:

      Honest question: I grew up watching Diana & Charles but by 1996-1997 I was onto other things. I do remember her remarking that she thought that she & Charles despite everything still made a good team. Did this mean that she was willing to stay in the marriage, finish raising her sons & eventually becoming Queen & continuing all the charity work she’d been doing? I’m just trying to understand the “Charles had Diana & threw her away for THAT” commentary. Thanks!

      • Tessa says:

        Camilla and Charles had pals leak bad stories about Diana to the media
        Camilla herself went to the sun editor for ten years. Charles did drop Diana after she had the heirs for him. After a point she would never want to remain in an emotionally abusive marriage. Camilla also had an agenda of her own and would not leave the scene

      • sevenblue says:

        @Andromeda, Diana was almost in the same situation as Harry. Both Charles’s office and Camilla were leaking bad stories about her. The more Diana accomplished, the worse the stories got because of Charles’s jealousy. She tried to fight back by trying to get to some tabloids’ writers personally. But, it didn’t work and made people say that Diana did the same thing as Charles, ignoring Diana was very young when all this leaking game started and she wasn’t the one who started it. That is why Diana couldn’t stay any longer even though she wanted the marriage to work.

        Harry wanted the same, he wanted to stay, but couldn’t to protect his and Meghan’s mental health.

      • Andromeda says:

        Responding to @Tessa & @SevenBlue: That’s right, I had totally forgotten the interview where Diana said she knew she’d never be Queen of England but wanted to be a Queen of peoples hearts. She’d given up on the marriage. Charles is was such a short-sighted jealous fool. NOW I understand the sentiment. I appreciate everyone who’s helped me work through this.

      • BeanieBean says:

        No, she ‘continued raising her sons’ & doing her charity work as a single woman. She didn’t need to be married to Charles to do that.

  11. aquarius64 says:

    The BM is doing clean up on aisle 4 on this royal tour is because they know it was a disaster. £ bet the Foreign Office and No.10 know it too. Camilla is proof that a mistress is not always a suitable replacement for a wife; and Charles was thinking with his scepter when he rid himself of a wife who had the natural skills to do well in the diplomatic arena for a side chick who can’t step up to the plate.

  12. Tessa says:

    Charles publicly named Camilla forcing the divorce of the Parker bowles. He became obligated

    • Libra says:

      Her Daddy pointed that out to him. “You’ve destroyed my daughter’s reputation now fix it. ” He had no choice but to propose. Obligated, yes. He should have seen this coming. Shortsighted as usual.

      • aquarius64 says:

        Camilla wasn’t forced into Charles’ bed. She willingly hooked up with a married man so she contributed to her own reputational ruin.

      • BeanieBean says:

        And please, I don’t care who her father was, but he was in no position to order the second in line to the throne to do anything.

      • Tessa says:

        Charles did something that was not done among royalty publicly naming the married mistress.and forcing a,divorce. Edward viii did not name Wallis that way. He waited until after her divorce and after his abdication
        Mr Simpson took the blame for the divorce.

    • Dee(2) says:

      I don’t understand how her reputation was saved though? She is still described as the side chick, they just use her title to do so. I don’t think she ever wanted to marry him, she’s clearly not interested in doing any of the work and she does it actually seemed all that enthralled with the pomp and circumstance in the way that Kate does other than to Lord it over other people. You get what you asked for though, so it’s fitting that the laziest woman in all of England has to spend her 70s working and can’t retire because she spent her 30s tormenting a teenager.

      • Saucy&Sassy says:

        Dee(2), I think she did want to marry him. If she didn’t, why did she go after Diana from day one? she should have been a quiet and discreet mistress (if he wasn’t going to stop his relationship with her). There was NOTHING discreet or quiet about her. She wanted it. She got it. She’s really bad at it.

  13. Carrie says:

    This woman is genuinely awful. Patronising and rude in the extreme.
    I am hoping the same karma that visited Clarkson comes her way.

  14. Amy Bee says:

    Camilla’s just embarrassing but the press will continue to pretend that she’s brilliant at the job. If Meghan behaved the way Camilla does the press would be outraged. For people like Richard Palmer to still maintain that there’s no deal between the Palace and the press is gaslighting.

    • Eurydice says:

      And we don’t even have to guess at how Meghan would have behaved. We saw it most recently in Nigeria and Colombia she celebrated the performers with delight.

      • Cassie says:

        According to a spokesman of Charles , after the successful Australian tour , the anti Monarchy has been set back 10 years ,here in Australia ,

        The propaganda continues unabated .

  15. Jais says:

    Charles comes across as a fool. An arrogant man who wanders around expecting crowds despite the fact that we all know how he treated his son’s family. And how the monarchy treated the countries they visit. And don’t get me started on Camilla. Hiding her words and smirks behind a fan. That’s the uk’s queen. The queen of condescension and bad manners. Meghan was too good for them.

    • Anna says:

      Meghan saw it very fast and they knew she knew. That is also a reason why they hate her, not only that she performed better.

  16. Julie says:

    What classless trash. She is just an awful human being. This is the “woman” Charles chose with his whole chest over Diana, repeatedly. Truly one of the biggest mistakes of his life.

  17. ML says:

    Why on earth was Camzilla allowed to come?! She supposedly doesn’t travel well, she’s impolite and she makes no secret of not wanting to improve. And she has left quickly/ not participated more than once. Yet she just spent the week at a spa (which she’s been to several times since QE2 died) in India. Abroad. So travel doesn’t seem to be the issue, right?

  18. yipyip says:

    They are both awful people.
    C&C rudely laughing at the customs of the people very, very bad.
    Neither C or C has built up any public goodwill.
    Charles is mucking up a job he has been trained for his entire adult life.

  19. Eowyn says:

    It’s not rude, it’s deeply racist. It’s colonialist. Best if we say the whole truth. It’s saddening to see disrespect like this.

    • Brassy Rebel says:

      Exactly 💯!

    • Jay says:

      Exactly this – we certainly do not see Camilla smirking or laughing at the groups of (mostly) older white people that she tends to interact with in England, or leaving those events abruptly.

    • Nerd says:

      That is exactly what this was. They don’t show the same disrespect to those who look like them but continue to show complete disrespect and disdain for those who do not. It doesn’t matter what country they go to. They but especially Camilla always finds ways to distract and laugh at their customs or simply hide in a care. She was perfectly fine in France prancing around trying to look as if she belonged. Of course she was disrespectful by swatting the Brigitte Macron’s hand but she didn’t laugh at their traditions even though their traditions in the UK are royals walking around in bath robes and pajamas for Charles’s conAnation. She’s a classless woman and calling her a woman was a compliment.

    • BeanieBean says:

      This. She reminds me of all the awful English women you see in any movie or TV show about the British Raj or the British in Kenya or Zimbabwe or wherever. They only want to associate with each other & think of the local people as less than in every way, literally & figuratively looking down their long English noses at them.

  20. Eurydice says:

    That’s the advantage/disadvantage of global communication. The press can try to sugarcoat this, but world sees something else – old, sick, tired, mean-spirited, lack of empathy and generosity. I feel kind of sad that this is the representation of the UK because I know the people aren’t all like this.

  21. Brassy Rebel says:

    I don’t think Charles was just fishing for self pity with that comment. Watch how slowly and carefully he climbs those stairs. He’s on borrowed time.

    • Barbie1 says:

      I feel really sad for him and his family. Who knows how long Kate can last as well.

      • Brassy Rebel says:

        I don’t wish cancer or any bad health on anyone but I don’t feel much of anything for Charles. He’s had a life of comfort and privilege through no effort by him.

      • Hypocrisy says:

        He has lived 40 years longer than Princess Diana was allowed to live, he has not changed one bit since he vilified her right up until her horrific death, that she warned us he planned. She will always have my compassion along with Meghan who they tried to destroy the same way. I really find it hard to have any sympathy for this man or his second wife.

      • Barbie1 says:

        How anyone could choose Camilla over Diana is beyond me. He was an ass before and during the divorce but the royal family had nothing to do with Diana’s death. Just a conspiracy theory. Sad for Diana’s mental health if she believed that.

      • Tessa says:

        Diana was spot on the whole time
        She was treated like dirt by charles. Sad that she was treated that way.

  22. Giddy says:

    What a bitch. What a truly awful, rude, racist to the core, bitch. Charles and William will be responsible for the end of the monarchy, in large part because of their awful wives. Cam is openly horrible and rude, celebrating her victory in achieving that crown. Kate is uninterested and lazy. Why should British taxpayers support these awful people? What value do they bring?

  23. Lisa says:

    When I had horses we preferred not to shoe them! Maybe the royal farrier should be alerted that the old nag doesn’t need shoes.

  24. wolfmamma says:

    What a travesty of a “ royal tour”. How embarrassing to watch the monarchy implode into drunken rudeness for all to see.

  25. smee says:

    Disgusting. Reminds me of her smirking and giggling at the preacher at H&M’s wedding. Shows you just how far out of touch she is in her white bubble.

  26. Over it says:

    You can take the cow-wh-oreee out of the barn but you can’t take the barn out of the cow-wh-oree.
    I can’t stand this cow .

  27. Jaded says:

    Just in case you haven’t seen the childish and insulting Inuit throat singing event… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xguPNvoyHPY

  28. yipyip says:

    Charles can and should stay in the UK.
    Stay out of sight.
    He is doing himself no favors if this is how he behaves as he travels.
    Insulting. Rude. Any 5 y/o could behave more politely in public.

    • Anna says:

      My 7yo would probably smile and ask questions and be very positive about it, as she learned to appreciate that people are different.

  29. yipyip says:

    i don’t know why any “colony” still puts up with Charles.
    The BRF are leeches. Zero power. Paper dolls living in the racist past.

  30. blueberry says:

    I was mindlessly scrolling through my chrome newsfeed and caught the headline that said she “burst into tears” during his mention of his mortality. SMH the revision has already begun.