Charles gets a warm welcome on his first visit as king to Samoa. But uneasy questions await

SIUMU, Samoa (AP) — In the dark, dozens of people lined a narrow road near the Samoan fishing village of Siumu, gathering near a sign bearing a portrait of King Charles III and waiting excitedly for a glimpse of the real monarch.

A buzz surged through the crowd as a motorcade appeared Wednesday, bearing the first British king to visit a Pacific Island nation.

Hands waved briefly from rolled-down windows and those standing in just the right spot caught a glimpse of the king’s face. Then the monarch and his wife, Queen Camilla, were gone. The royals had arrived earlier Wednesday evening from a visit to Australia.

“All people in Samoa are very excited,” said Numio Faoagali, a garbage collector from Siumu who had spent three days cleaning and decorating his house with a Union flag and bunting. He hoped that Charles, who is staying at a resort nearby, might see it.

“It’s the first time to see the king. We’ve only seen him on the TV, not here in Samoa,” he said.

Charles is expected to helm a meeting of leaders from Commonwealth countries including many, like Samoa, which once had colonial ties to Britain. His presence is likely to prompt uneasy questions -– as it did in Australia — about the role of the British crown in the histories and aspirations of its former territories.

But on Wednesday, his visit provoked delight too.

Locals were thrilled their village was picked to host the monarch and congregated two hours early on Wednesday to await his arrival. Madeleine A. Tofaeono-Galo said her cousin, who lived on the other side of the island, was travelling to Siumu “just to see the king.”

As Apia, the capital, bustled with final preparations to welcome Charles, other world leaders and more than 3,000 delegates to the Commonwealth