King Charles heads back to the UK after historic tour of Bermuda

Ben McCaffrey
Sat, 02 May 2026 15:36:00 +0000

His Majesty has today departed Bermuda, bringing an extraordinary six-day visit across the Atlantic to a close.

The King, who looked the part in a grey pinstripe suit paired with sunglasses and a red polka dot tie, boarded the flight destined for the UK to reunite with Queen Camilla, who flew back to Britain on Thursday.

As he walked up the steps, King Charles turned back on the crowd and gave a final wave, before heading onto the plane.

His final day on the island saw him officially launching the UK Space Agency's Project Nova, an ambitious initiative designed to monitor debris orbiting Earth.

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Following this, His Majesty attended a Coast Guard Station Opening, where he met youngsters from the Junior Leader programme then discussed their involvement with the scheme and awarded operational service medals to five members of the regiment, congratulating them for their commitment to protecting the island.

During a garden party at Government House on Friday evening, the King acknowledged the impact of his visit to Bermuda, as he became the first reigning King to set foot on the British Overseas Territory in its four centuries of existence.

"I am told to my amazement it is also the first time in Bermuda's four-hundred-year history that the islands have received a reigning King," he remarked to guests.

"I am terribly sorry it has taken so long!"

The garden party itself capped an extremely busy schedule of engagements for the monarch, who had met with Bermuda's Premier David Burt and explored a museum exhibition examining Bermuda's historical ties to the Transatlantic Slave Trade earlier in the day.

The monarch's two-day milestone tour of the island comes off the back of a remarkable four-day visit of the United States, where he once again showed the world his relationship with President Donald Trump.

The highlight of the trip came when the King stood before Congress on Tuesday, becoming the first monarch to do so since his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1991, and speaking for upwards of 30 minutes.

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Addressing the joint meeting of lawmakers, the King framed the UK-US alliance as "more important today than it has ever been", explicitly echoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in a rare moment where he quoted a sitting British premier on the congressional stage.

President Trump later claimed he was "jealous" of the King's speech.

In the evening, the monarch drew roaring laughter from the assembled dignitaries at a State Dinner when he offered a witty riposte to President Trump's previous remarks about America saving Europe from speaking German.

"Dare I say that, if it wasn't for us, you'd be speaking French!" the King quipped, prompting considerable amusement among guests.

President Trump lavished praise upon the monarch throughout the trip, repeatedly calling him "fantastic" and highlighting the "special" bonds between Britain and the United States.

And to typify the success of the trip, the President announced he will lift Scottish whisky tariffs.

"The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!" he explained.

Now, as the King departs Bermuda, he can reflect on what has been a successful and enjoyable trip, celebrating the US's major birthday, potentially going some way to mending the "special relationship" between the UK and US, and becoming the first reigning King to visit Bermuda.