The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune News Editor

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

KING Charles III arrives in The Bahamas today for his first visit as monarch, with police closing dozens of roads across New Providence.

Late last night, an army of workers was still repairing roads and making last-minute preparations ahead of the historic visit – Charles’ first as King of The Bahamas.

The King will be welcomed with a ceremony at Lynden Pindling International Airport. His convoy will then travel to Paradise Island, with roads along the route closing from 4.20pm.

It is his first visit since succeeding Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and only his second official visit to The Bahamas. He last was in 1973 as a 24-year-old Prince of Wales, representing his mother at the Independence celebrations.

The King is travelling alone. Queen Camilla is scheduled to join him later in the tour.

His first public engagement will be a youth rally at Clifford Park this evening, the same park he visited in 1973. About 300 young people are taking part, including a marching band, the National Youth Choir, the Bahamas National Children’s Choir and pop bands from New Providence and the Family Islands. The rally is open to the public.

Tomorrow, the King will visit the Royal Bahamas Defence Force base at Coral Harbour, where he will see a disaster-response vessel and pay tribute at the HMBS Flamingo memorial. He will also visit Bonefish Pond National Park to learn about mangrove conservation and coastal resilience, and attend a sports event for young people.

In the afternoon, he will tour a cultural festival at Parliament and Rawson Square, organised by the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage. The festival runs from 10am to 6pm and is open to the public. The King is due to visit artisans, straw vendors and craftspeople at the cultural booths at 2pm. A Junkanoo rush-out will follow at 2.30pm, travelling along Bay Street from East Street to Frederick Street. The day will also feature live bands, Bahamian music and local food.

The ministry has urged people to arrive early, as the area around Parliament Square, Rawson Square and Bay Street is expected to be busy throughout the day.

After meeting Governor General Dame Cynthia Pratt and Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis, the King will attend a garden reception at Government House. The reception ends his official programme, and he leaves on Thursday.

He will then make a state visit to Guyana before travelling to Antigua and Barbuda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which runs from November 1 to 4.

Police have warned motorists to expect disruption on all three days of the visit.

Supt. Coran Jennings from Traffic Division.said last night: “The police wish to advise the public that in regard to road closures for His Majesty's visit, routes will only be temporarily closed during the movement of the Royal Convoy.

“As the convoy passes, closures will be in effect. Once His Majesty has arrived at a designated location, motorists will be accommodated, where practicable, to return to their residences, places of employment, or respective businesses. 
Additionally, while His Majesty is at a designated location, all roads in the immediate vicinity will remain closed. Roads on the outer perimeter will accommodate motorists where practicable. The public cooperation and understanding are appreciated.”

Today’s closures will run along the convoy’s route: Windsor Field Road, JFK Drive and its roundabouts, the New Providence Highway, West Bay Street, Bay Street and Paradise Island Drive.

From 2pm, West Bay Street will be closed between Nassau Street and Chippingham Road for the youth rally, along with Marcus Bethel Way, Gibbs Lane and access to Arawak Cay. Eastbound traffic on West Bay Street will be diverted onto Chippingham Road, and westbound traffic onto Nassau Street.

Between 5pm and 7pm, a second set of closures will affect Paradise Island Drive, more than two dozen intersections along Shirley Street, Duke Street, Cumberland Street, Marlborough Street, West Bay Street and Bay Street as the convoy passes.

Parking has been banned since midnight on both sides of several roads around Clifford Park. These include West Bay Street from Marlborough Street to the area of The Pointe, and from Nassau Street to St Albans Drive. Infant View Road, Chippingham Road and Nassau Street between Bay Street and South Street are also affected. Police said vehicles left there could obstruct the convoy.

Designated parking for the rally will be available at Western Esplanade, Fort Charlotte, Xavier’s School, the Hill-Top campus of the International School of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology on Dean Lane, and the western side of Clifford Park. Closures for tomorrow and Thursday will be announced separately.

Preparations have drawn criticism. Killarney MP Michela Barnett-Ellis asked last week why it took the King’s visit to get roads repaired. Minister of Works and Family Island Affairs Clay Sweeting has denied the roadworks are for the King, saying the repaving of Shirley Street was already planned.

The cost of the visit remains unknown. Finance Minister Michael Halkitis said last month that agencies were still calculating expenses, which are expected to be shared with the Sovereign Grant, the British taxpayer-funded allowance that covers the monarch’s official duties.

The visit has also revived calls for The Bahamas to become a republic. The Bahamas National Reparations Committee has demanded an apology for slavery and colonisation. A Rastafari group led by Royal Ambassador High Priest Richmond McKinney, of the Ethiopia Africa Black International Congress, plans to rally during the visit and present the King with a petition calling for an apology for slavery and reparations. Buckingham Palace has said the King will not shy away from Britain’s role in the slave trade during the tour, but will not formally apologise.