King Charles arrives in Guyana as Bahamas visit declared 'diplomatic success'
As the King left the Bahamas his spokesman said the islands had "a special place in the King's heart".
King Charles has arrived in Guyana for the second stage of his Caribbean tour, after a trip to the Bahamas that Buckingham Palace called a "sensitive balancing act" and a "diplomatic success".
The key themes of the two-day state visit to Guyana will be the environment and sustainability, as well as the expanding commercial links between the UK and Guyana.
The King is scheduled to meet the country’s President, Irfaan Ali, and will attend a state reception marking the 60 year bilateral relationship between the two nations.
Following his visit to Guyana, King Charles will travel to Antigua and Bermuda, where he will open a major Commonwealth leaders summit in his role as head of the "family of nations".
Guyana, formerly British Guiana, is the world’s fastest growing economy after oil reserves were discovered there in 2015.
More than four fifths of the country is covered by rainforest, and it has one of the lowest deforestation rates in the world.
The tour will also include cultural exchanges, with a group of bagpipers from the National Piping Centre in Scotland taking part in the royal visit.
As the King departed the Bahamas on Thursday to head to Guyana for the second leg of his Caribbean tour, his spokesman said the islands had "a special place in the King's heart."
"The great wall of cheers he received when greeting crowds will echo long in his memory - and be a source of tremendous pride and encouragement as the tour continues to Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda."
During the two day visit to the Bahamas, the King met young boxers, environmentalists and politicians.
He also joined in dancing during a Junkanoo parade celebrating island life.
However, in his only public speech of the tour so far, delivered at his first engagement in the Bahamas, the King referred to the UK's role in the slave trade and acknowledged the "suffering of the past."
His spokesman said: "The King had hoped, the visit proved an opportunity to celebrate and reaffirm the modern partnership between The Bahamas and the UK. And to address the shared challenges of the future and also to acknowledge the great injustices of the past in a respectful way."
The tour comes amid renewed appeals from Caribbean nations for Britain to apologise for its role in the slave trade and to provide reparations - compensation from those countries that profited from the trade in enslaved men and women.
A small number of protesters appeared at some of the King's events in the Bahamas, with campaigners holding signs reading "pay us what you owe us", but they did not disrupt the proceedings.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM), taking place in Antigua and Barbuda from 1 November, will discuss the legacy of slavery. The King will give a speech as Head of the Commonwealth.