King Charles III arrives in Samoa for gathering of Commonwealth presidents

Oct. 23 (UPI) -- King Charles III arrived in Samoa on Wednesday to preside over the gathering of Commonwealth presidents and prime ministers for the first time as head of the monarchy.

Charles arrived with Queen Camilla and was treated to a red carpet arrival at the Faleolo International Airport, where they met with local officials. The four-day trip to Samoa comes on the heels of a six-day visit to Australia.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will join the monarch in opening of what is formally known as the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting. The king is expected to deliver an address to the body on Friday.

While this is the first meeting Charles is attending, it is not the first time he has led the event. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, deputized him to act on her behalf the last time the commonwealth heads met in Rwanda in 2022.

Climate change is expected to be one of the leading topics of discussion. Reparations, while not officially on the agenda, could play a role in talks. All the participating companies were brought together through British colonization.

Colonization was at the root of some protests in Australia for King Charles as he faced a handful of demonstrators, including an Indigenous member of the Australian Senate, who criticized him and Britain.