As a preamble to this visit, the King and Queen received the Commonwealth diaspora at St James Palace on October 2, 2024. Among the guests: Jamaican icon Grace Jones and former Samoan rugby player, Freddie Tuilagi. If Charles III first greeted them with a handshake, this ceremonial gesture was clearly not enough for the rugby player who decided to present the traditional dance of his country to the sovereign.
“You will love it”
In a video revealed by the royal family’s account, we hear the former Castres Olympic player exclaiming “we are going to sing a song for the king!” before telling Charles III, visibly surprised and amused, “you will love it!”.
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The rugby player then launched into a traditional dance, quickly joined by the sovereign who faithfully reproduced each movement. United by this moment of complicity, Freddie Tuilagi then gave the king the traditional Samoan fly swatter which Charles III happily used, his broad smile indicating that he was obviously having an excellent evening.
Charles, king of cool
After two years of reign, the king is building an image of a relaxed and accessible sovereign, far from the rigidity that Queen Elizabeth sometimes showed. Recently, William and Harry’s father found himself buried under the players of the New Zealand rugby team who had asked his permission to give “a hug”.
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These moments are also an informal way for the king to maintain good relations with Commonwealth countries where he has not yet had the opportunity to visit. To prepare for his visit to Australia, the Palace teams had to deal with medical constraints and plan a program that would preserve the sovereign, who has still not reached the stage of remission.
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