King Charles’s first full day in Samoa in pictures

He is already known as King Charles III, head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith and head of the Armed Forces.

Today in Samoa, he added one more title to that list: High Chief.

The new title, Tui-Taumeasina, or “paramount chief” of the village of Moata’a, was bestowed on King Charles by the local chief, who urged the monarch to “take a small part of Samoa away” with him to be connected to their lands forever.

The Queen was also welcomed to the village’s women’s committee, in a day of ceremony and tradition that elders called the highest possible protocol for the island’s guests.

The first full day of activity in the state visit to Samoa began with an “ava ceremony”, in which the King swapped his usual suit and tie for island dress.

The King wore a bush jacket, designed by the monarch himself and made by tailor Anderson & Shepperd – with a distinctive blue trimming made by the Samoan School of Fine Art.

The Queen dressed in a white tunic by Anna Valentine, with gold fish earrings and a hand-held fan with her cypher on.

Men – known locally as taulele’a – from Falelatai village blew conch shells and the chiefs lined the paths holding carved staffs and wearing red and patterned “ie lavalava”, a wrap cloth, and garlands made of dried red fruit.

As the King and Queen took their places on throne-like chairs, they were welcomed to sacred ground and were told that the ceremony is a “symbol of friendship and safe passage”.

After a long ritual, in which the ‘ava drink – made from dried roots of the native kava plant mixed with water – was prepared by the daughter of the chief, who was sitting cross legged on the floor, the King took a sip.

Afterwards, the King smiled and said “May God Bless this ‘ava” and “la manuia” (la–man-we-a), which means “be prosperous”.

Later in the day, at Moata’a Village, the King and Queen took part in a second ceremony before he accepted his new title.

Tofaeono Iupati Fuatai, the chief of Moata’a, said the decision to welcome the King was in respect of the traditions of the village’s forefathers, adding: “When you are given a title like this, it is a big honour.

“We hope that the King takes a small part of Samoa away with him. Once he has the title of Tui-Taumeasina, we also become part of him and he will be connected to our people and our lands forever.

“In the old days we believed in the conferring of a title as a mark of respect to one another and that is what we are doing today. When you confer such a title from the heart, we become bonded as one.”

He spoke of his admiration for the King’s work campaigning on climate change, to which the small Pacific island nation is highly vulnerable.

As the King and Queen continued their visit around the island, heavy rain fell – welcomed by locals at this time of year because it encourages the harvest of the rare palolo, which sells for a high price.

As they worked their way through 10 events in one day in Samoa, the King and Queen were offered gifts including finely hand-woven mats and a whole pig, wrapped and presented on a pallet carried by four chiefs. The pig will be returned to the village, the home of Samoa’s head of state, as a gift in turn for local families.

At the Samoan Cultural Village, the King and Queen watched a woman having a traditional Samoan tattoo etched on her leg, in an art known as “Tatau”.

John Lemisio, a tattooist, showed the King his family, showcasing the sacred art of Samoan tattooing, known as “Tatau”.

The King, who saw the woman grimacing, asked if it was “painful” and was told by Mr Lemisio: “It is a lifetime of pain.”

The monarch asked : “Do you need a drink for that?”

But he was told: “No. No medicine.”

Mr Lemisio went on to say: “Welcome to the house of pain, your majesty!” The King replied: “Yes, it must be very painful.”

Each tattoo design is rich with meaning and represents personal stories, heritage and social status. It requires Samoan tattoo artists not only to have great skill, but also great cultural knowledge.

The tattoo display took place as the King and Queen were shown a “cultural village” organised by the Samoa Tourism Authority, which brought people from nearby villages together.

The King and Queen were shown the traditional Samoan weaving method used to produce le Samoa, a fine mat which holds huge cultural significance for Samoan families as it symbolises wealth.

Outside, they saw a group of people soaking a mat with water and scrubbing it to prepare for weaving.

The King, who was holding an umbrella, suggested that the rain was helping them complete the task, joking: “It must be the ideal day for it.”

After seeing how the mats were made, the Queen was given a roll of Siapo – a fine cloth made from tree bark, which traditionally served as a fabric for clothing for centuries before the arrival of missionaries on the island. It is now used as a form of artwork.

The royal guests were also shown a traditional war dance and were invited to meet the island nation’s rugby and cricket teams.

Litara Ieremia-Allan, a 23-year-old beauty queen who became Miss Samoa in 2024, greeted the Queen.

She said afterwards: “Samoan Queens have strength and resilience [and] are the glue that holds our community together.

“A Samoan Queen and British Queen is a meeting of two different understandings and an intersection of cultures and I’m honoured to present this side.”

The Queen went on to see a special concert by village children, who sang songs including one called “I will smile at the storm”, before telling them that their art work was “amazing”.

Elena Asi Tuiataga Blakelocke, the president of the women’s committee, said the community would now view the monarch as a “Queen and a sister” of the village.

She added: “The Queen is very welcome here any time. If she comes back, we will welcome her with open arms.

“We all feel so proud and have all been looking forward to welcoming them.”

The King went on a walk to see mangroves, as part of a marine restoration project.

Molly Faamanatu Nielsen, a disaster management officer for the Samoan government, returned to her home village of Moata’a for the royal visit to her community’s mangrove project.

She asked to kiss the King and he agreed: “I had no idea I was going to do it, it just came to me.

“There was a king in front of me and I thought why not and he was happy to.”

The Queen attended a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) women’s forum, in which she shared her hopes for ending gender-based violence.

In a speech, she joked about the King “toiling” long after she has gone to sleep, as she invoked a local proverb.

“I was delighted recently to come across the wonderful Samoan proverb: E au le Inailau a Tama’ita’i,” she told an audience, which included Baroness Scotland, the secretary general of the Commonwealth, and the prime minister of Samoa.

“With apologies to the men in the room, I thought that we might make this our motto today.

“According to a legend, a competition was once held between men and women in a village to thatch the roof of the house of chief Tautunu.

“Although they started at the same time, the women finished their side first, as they had laboured through the night, while the men slept.

“As one whose husband is often toiling into the small hours, long after my head is on the pillow, I should stress there are plenty of exceptions!

“But the moral of the proverb is: Women will turn their hands successfully to any task that must be done; and will work hard until it is completed.”