Fans for the recollections! King Charles and Queen Camilla take pleasure in fond and vibrant – if rain-sodden – farewell from Samoa, wreathed in garlands and knocking again particular plant brew

The King and Queen bid a fond farewell to Samoa this morning in a colourful traditional ceremony.

And the king was conferred with yet another honorary title – To’aiga-o-Tumua of the village of Siumu.

Charles and Camilla were offered garlands as they arrived in torrential rain.

The couple, holding umbrellas, made their way up a sodden red carpet to a stage which had been covered in woven mats and garlanded with flowers.

They were offered seats on large golden thrones where they sat and listened to several extravagantly dressed village elders welcome them with honour.

They also watched intensively as villagers, soaked to the bone, but determined to continue with festivities undertook an ‘ava ceremony’ – the making of a special drink with the roots of the ava plant- which was handed to the king to drink in a highly polished coconut shell.

Charles and Camilla – who was wearing a black and white print Fiona Clare dress – were also given armfuls of gifts by villagers including a special embroidered mat to mark the occasion and fly whisks.

In an impromptu speech the King said: ‘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.

‘We shall take away with us, I promise you, very special memories of our time here. We thank you for our wonderful gifts ‘

He also praised the way Samoans had decorated the roadsides and thanked villagers for coming to their hotel each day to leave even more gifts.

The couple were then handed ceremonial swords and watched while performers gathered in the rain to demonstrate their famous war dance, brandishing sticks blazing with flames.

At one point the Queen hid her face with her fan and she began to cry with laughter, particularly at members of the media trying to shelter from the deluge.

The chief told the King: ‘Your Papa Prince Philip was here, so were your brothers. So thank you for making the time. Your royal visit has lifted our house.’

The King and Queen were then pictured waving from the steps of a Royal Australian Air Force jet as they bade farewell to Samoa after a successful four-day state visit.

Their Majesties arrived at Faleolo VIP Terminal in a motorcade and briefly greeted the Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa, the Minister for Environment and Police Commissioner while sheltering under umbrellas.

The Queen cautiously made her way up the steps first and turned to wave before heading in the dry.

A few minutes later the King boarded the aircraft, after being joined by the Queen to wave to those gathered below.

The King and Queen have been in Samoa on a royal visit and on Friday night hosted an official King’s Dinner and Reception for the Commonwealth Heads of Government in Samoa.

The event, which saw an elite team from Buckingham Palace fly out to organise it with the help of Samoan chefs, artisans and officials, was set in the grounds of the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum.

Remarkably, the Edinburgh-born Treasure Island and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde author settled on the island at Vailima House to cure his tuberculosis, sadly dying just four years later, at the age of 44, from a cerebral haemorrhage.

He was buried on top of Mount Vea, overlooking the sea, because his chronic lying condition meant he was never able to climb it.

Their Majesties arrived at the front of the museum, where they were greeted by the Master of the Household, Vice Admiral Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt.

On the veranda he presented them to Samoa’s Prime Minister, The Honourable Afioga Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa, and the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Baroness Scotland.

Remaining on the veranda, Their Majesties then received Heads of Government and their spouses, announced by the Commonwealth Secretary-General.

When the King met Nana Akufo-Addo, the President of Ghana, who attended the dinner in black tie, Charles told him: ‘You’re making me feel underdressed.’

Later he told Commonwealth leaders in a speech that it was his ‘lifelong aspiration’ to visit all 56 countries in the Commonwealth but ‘the ever expanding number of member states and his doctors’ orders’ had prevented him from achieving it so far.

On his final night in Samoa, he also spoke warmly of his affection for the family of nations, saying: ‘The Commonwealth can surely be a source of hope.’

Due to health concerns for the King, 75, who is expected to resume his cancer treatment when he returns to Britain, the dinner was the only late night engagement of his long-haul trip, the first of his reign to a Commonwealth realm.

Before dinner, the King planted a tree in a new garden created in his honour in Samoa, asking locals to ‘keep an eye on my tree’ when he had gone.

The King shovelled soil onto the roots of the Talafalu tree, chosen especially to help an endangered species of butterfly.

‘What’s wonderful here is all this rain and then sun helping things grow,’ he told gardeners. ‘The trouble is as I get older I lose my patience and want to see things happen very quickly.’

He asked staff at the garden to send him photographs of the sapling as it grew. The Minister for Natural Resources and Environment in Samoa, Toealesulasula Cedric Schuster promised to send him a six-monthly update.

‘I hope this will thrive,’ the King added. ‘Will you let me know how it’s getting on and send me a photo? I will be very interested to learn how it’s getting on.’

He asked landscapers if they had dug the small hole before he arrived, and was told yes.

The tree was chosen as part of the island’s ‘Talafalu for Pepe a’e’ scheme, which plants the tree favoured by the caterpillars of the endangered Samoan swallowtail butterfly.

The King and Queen were also honoured during a loud and colourful ‘ava ceremony during their Samos trip. 

King Charles was handed a bowl of a special drink made from the powdered roots of the treasured ‘ava plant – and ceremonially tipped a small portion on the ground, saying ‘May God Bless this ‘ava and ‘la manuia’, meaning ‘be prosperous’.

The ‘ava’ ceremony was hosted by The Head of State of the Independent State of Samoa, Le Afioga ia Tuimaleali’ifano Va’aleto’a Sualauvi II, and Ceremonial Attendants from Falelatai Village on Wednesday. 

Several hundred members of the village community were seated at the ceremony, with village elders – covered in tatau – tattoos – from their waists down to their knees as a symbol of the seniority and roles sitting cross legged on mats on the ground.

Their Majesties walked to their seats in the marquee, accompanied by the Head of State of the Independent State of Samoa and his wife, Masiofo Faʻamausili Leinaf, which were on a raised stage.

The ceremony began with a short symbolic debate amongst the orators (‘talking chiefs’ or tulafale) to decide who will lead the welcome oration.

Large ‘ava roots were symbolically presented to the centre marquee.

These roots are not used in the ceremonial preparation of the ‘ava beverage, as dried and powdered root is used.

The ‘ava was prepared for the King by the daughter of the Chief, Leinafo Tuimalealufanu.

Four attendants assisted with the filtering of the ‘ava drink through a sieve made of the dried bark of the Fau tree.

For centuries, ‘ava – known in other Pacific countries as kava – has played a vital role in the rituals and celebrations of Pacific islanders. It is not just a beverage, but a symbol of community unity and connection.