HAMILTON (Bermuda), May 2 — King Charles III spent a day in the British island territory of Bermuda on Friday after a high-stakes visit to the United States where he sought to heal strained ties between Washington and London.

It was the first visit by a British king to Bermuda in its 400-year history, Charles said—a history that involved making the archipelago a maritime hub of Britain’s transatlantic slave trade, which the monarchy has been pressured to address.

The king toured a museum exhibit on the slave trade and watched a dance with roots in the era.

“I’m told, to my amazement, it is also the first time in Bermuda’s 400 year history, the islands have actually received a reigning king,” Charles said during a reception at Government House in Bermuda’s capital of Hamilton. “So I’m terribly sorry it has taken so long.”

Charles was visiting the archipelago without Queen Camilla, who had accompanied him to the United States.

Early in the day the British monarch greeted a line of schoolchildren, pausing to chat with them, on the steps of the whitewashed St. Peter’s Church in St. George’s, the Atlantic Ocean territory’s first English settlement.

“Thank you for coming,” said one crowd member who held a miniature Union Jack flag.

“Get home safe,” said another member of the hundreds-strong crowd gathered in King’s Square.

One well-wisher wore a plastic crown speckled with imitation jewels as she filmed the gathering on her cell phone after a 21-gun salute.

Charles received a Royal Salute and the Royal Bermuda Regiment’s band played the national anthem before setting a more relaxed tone with Bob Marley and the Wailers’ song Jamming.

In Sandys Parish, the royal party was treated to a performance by Gombeys—dancers who maintain a folklore tradition with African, Caribbean and Native American influences.

Their vibrant costumes evolved from the era of slavery, when performances were restricted and painted masks helped conceal dancers’ identities.

Charles also visited Trunk Island, an island in Bermuda’s Harrington Sound where the local zoological society runs education programs.

Long a vocal conservationist, Charles appeared “right at home” on the island, Bermuda Zoological Society spokeswoman Robyn Bardgett told AFP, adding it was clear his passion for the environment was “completely genuine.”

Charles asked a society staff member “are you getting the message through?”

The king took “real time to chat with them about what (members) are learning about coral reefs,” Bardgett added.

Charles is scheduled to depart for the United Kingdom on Saturday.

Trump’s ‘greatest king’ 

The four-day US visit was largely seen as a success, with President Donald Trump serving as a solicitous host who honored the royal couple with a white-tie banquet at the White House.

“He’s a great king—the greatest king, in my book,” Trump told reporters as they said farewell.

Soon after, Trump announced he was removing tariffs on Scottish whisky “in honour” of Charles and Camilla.

The centerpiece of the US trip was Charles’s speech Tuesday to Congress, the first by a British monarch since Queen Elizabeth II in 1991.

The address was warmly received, even as Charles touched on subjects from climate change and the need for restraints on presidential power to the importance of Nato and defense of Ukraine—sensitive issues for the US president.

The 77-year-old king skirted around tensions between Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer over Britain’s refusal to join the war against Iran, insisting the partnership between the two countries was “born out of dispute, but no less strong for it.” — AFP

LOS ANGELES, May 1 — A new documentary series based on hours of previously unreleased recordings made by Diana, the late Princess of Wales, is in the works, producers announced Thursday.

Diana: The Unheard Truth, set for release in 2027 – 30 years after her death in a Paris car crash – promises to tell the story of “the people’s princess” in her own words.

Using five hours of conversations between Diana and her close confidante, surgeon Dr. James Colthurst, the tapes formed the basis of Andrew Morton’s explosive 1992 book Diana: Her True Story.

“This revelatory three-part docuseries restores authorship of one of the most scrutinized lives in modern history,” said a statement released Thursday by Love Monday TV, the production company behind the venture.

It “will change public perception of Diana forever.”

“Through the tapes, we come to know a resilient, perceptive, and relatable young woman, finding herself in the brightest of global spotlights, and navigating the challenges with grace, self-awareness, and determination.”

Diana’s role in Britain’s storied monarchy is unparalleled.

The sumptuous 1981 wedding between Diana and the future King Charles III was a global extravaganza of good will.

But what followed quickly degenerated into a tabloid feeding frenzy as cracks appeared in the fairytale, with husband and wife seemingly seeking solace in the arms of others.

Diana’s shocking 1997 death in a Paris tunnel in a car speeding away from paparazzi sparked a public backlash in Britain that rocked the monarchy and the media.

The tapes, say producers, are a reminder that things could have turned out differently.

“We hear her infectious humor and twinkling laughter, as she reveals the truth about life inside the most famous family in the world,” the statement said.

“But most importantly we hear her dreams for a future that could have been; a new chapter in which Charles goes off into the sunset with (future queen) Camilla, leaving Diana free to carve her own path.”

Charles and Camilla, who married in 2005, are wrapping up a state visit to the United States, a visit that is being seen as a chance for London and Washington to move past a difficult few months.

The documentary series will also incorporate the perspectives of Diana’s inner circle, including advisers, close friends, her hairdresser, her bodyguard, and one-time royal press secretary Dickie Arbiter. — AFP