Over two decades since his last visit as Prince of Wales in 2000, His Majesty King Charles III arrived in Guyana mid-afternoon on Thursday for a two-day State Visit.
The visit, at the invitation of President Dr Irfaan Ali, comes as Guyana and the United Kingdom celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations.
His Majesty was welcomed with a much pomp and splendor at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, where he was received by President Ali and other senior government officials including Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd and Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh along with the head of the various Disciplined Forces.
Also, part of the welcoming team was British High Commissioner to Guyana Joseph Fisher, and UK Foreign Secretary, Rt. Hon. Ed Miliband, who arrived in Guyana hours before the British Monarch.
Upon his arrival at the CJIA, King Charles took the salute and was invited to Inspect the Guard of Honour, which comprised of several units of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).
Following the ceremonial welcome, His Majesty travelled down to Georgetown, where he engaged in formal discussions at State House with President Ali and his Cabinet, before attending a reception on the lawns of State House.
The King will have a packed agenda for his second day in Georgetown today. He will visit the Georgetown Memorial at Rabbit Walk, Eve Leary, and also engage Indigenous leaders from the National Toshaos Council, young people, business representatives and environmental advocates.
His Majesty’s visit coincides with the second conference of the Global Biodiversity Alliance (GBA) and he is expected to attend the opening ceremony this morning.
King Charles will wrap up his engagements at the Kingston Seawall where he will learn about sustainable city initiatives and mangrove restoration efforts before engaging the public at the Bandstand late this afternoon prior to his departure.
The King will then travel to Antigua and Barbuda, where he will meet up with his wife, Queen Camilla, and they will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting next week.
King Charles first visited Guyana in 2000 as then Prince of Wales, during which he became the patron of the Iwokrama International Centre, supporting its mission of sustainable forest management and research.
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