King Charles Gets a Cheeky Compliment on Guyana Visit

King Charles III was teased by Guyana's president about how he looks, and he had a quick reply ready. The exchange happened during the King's visit to Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, a former British colony in South America.

The King arrived on Thursday, October 29, for a two-day state visit at the invitation of President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali. Guyana's Department of Public Information had announced the trip in advance. The visit was part of a nine-day Caribbean tour that also took in the Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda.

The King's last trip to Georgetown was in 2000, when he was still the Prince of Wales. At the Global Biodiversity Alliance Conference in the capital, the president showed him a photo from that earlier visit. He called Charles a "handsome-looking young man back in the day," according to Hello! Magazine.

Then the president put a hand on the King's shoulder. "You have not changed much at all," he said. The King answered, "Keep trying."

Away from the photo wall, the visit covered a good deal of ground. The King toured Kaieteur Falls, one of the best-known waterfalls in the country, and the Iwokrama Rainforest. On Thursday he visited the Umana Yana in Georgetown, a traditional wooden meeting house, to mark Guyana's indigenous heritage.

On October 30, the two governments discussed working more closely on the revitalisation of Georgetown and on Moraikobai Harmony Village, a community project. Guyana's Department of Public Information reported those talks. The King also looked at the mangroves that protect Georgetown's coastline.

The state visit ended on Friday afternoon at the Kingston Seawall, the sea defence that runs along the city's edge. The King then went on with the rest of his Caribbean tour.

For most visitors, a state visit is a set of formal events. This one also had a light moment, and the president's teasing was clearly meant warmly.