Commonwealth What's The Summit And Who Is Going?

Following their visit to Australia, the King and Queen are in Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) – the 27th such summit and the first regular meeting since the death of Elizabeth II.

- SEAN O'GRADY

It is also the first which Charles will attend with the title of head of the Commonwealth, albeit this is a largely nominal role. It is also the first such gathering in one of the smaller Pacific island states, and as such will draw useful, practical attention to the damage that rising sea levels can inflict on such places.

Proceedings should be friendly and consensual, but sometimes CHOGMs also have something more crunchy to chew over, and in this case it may be the issue of reparations for historical crimes by Britain during the slave trade.

What will be the theme?

Officially, the theme of this summit is “One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth”. Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa, the prime minister of Samoa, declares: “We look forward to welcoming the Commonwealth family to our home.”