On his first visit to a British foreign colony as king, King Charles III is in Bermuda.
After a four-day state visit to the US, the King arrived in Hamilton, the territory's capital, on Thursday night without Queen Camilla.
On his first day in the area, he saw artifacts from the transatlantic slave trade, went on a boat ride with the coast guard, and attended an aquarium cake-cutting ceremony.
The King's travel to the United States was regarded as the most significant diplomatic event of his reign, therefore it was also a change of pace for him.
During one of the darkest moments of the day, the King was shown a modest exhibit at the National Museum of Bermuda that details the history of the island as part of the trade. It featured neck irons used by slave dealers and an image of shackled men aboard a slave ship.
He then witnessed a Gombey dance performance. According to Irwin Trott, a spokesman for the Bermudan Gombey dance army, the custom was prohibited during slavery and people were only permitted to do it on Christmas and New Year's.
"I informed him that it is a combination of cultures, African, Caribbean, West Indian, Native American and, of course, Great Britain," Trott said after meeting the King.
"Deep down, they preserved their culture, and thus it continued to flourish throughout the Caribbean, even though they were stripped of their identity, names were taken, their language was taken."
Although this is the King's first trip to Bermuda as a sovereign, he visited the island in 1970 to attend the opening of the parliament and drove around in an open-top vehicle.
He inspected the British Army's Royal Bermuda Regiment as part of the welcome on Friday before shaking hands with people lining the streets of St George, the former capital.
A military procession and marching band passed through the town in front of the King, who was greeted with a 21-gun salute.
Later, Bob Marley and the Wailers' Jamming was performed for the King by the band.
Every age group took pictures of the King and carried the union jack.
Attending the ceremony with his mother, four-year-old Theo attracted the monarch's attention by dressing like a King's guard.
The clothing was bought at the Buckingham Palace store two years ago, according to Theo's mother.She laughed, "He is wearing it ever since."
Read More: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgz08k04jeo
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