King Charles and Queen Camilla will travel a total of 10,000 miles for their next major royal tour, visiting Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas and Guyana.
The tour will coincide with the King and Queen's attendance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2026 in Antigua and Barbuda. Palace officials will be hoping the couple are welcomed to the country, following the last major royal tour of the Caribbean in 2022 by the Prince and Princess of Wales, which was marked by several controversies.
The then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were criticised for the way in which they greeted locals during one event in Jamaica, shaking the hands of children through a wire fence, and not engaging with protestors demanding reparations for Britain's role in the Transatlantic slave trade.
Background and Context
Antigua and Barbuda has in the past signalled its intention, along with Jamaica, to follow in the footsteps of nearby Barbados to ditch its historic association with the British Crown. As yet, no new legislation has been passed apart from a constitutional amendment approved by Parliament in December 2025, which formally removed the requirement to pledge loyalty to King Charles III, his heirs and successors.
When Antigua and Barbuda's new cabinet was sworn in May, following prime minister Gaston Browne securing an unprecedented fourth consecutive electoral victory, for the first time, elected officials pledged allegiance directly to the country, ending a more than 40-year tradition of swearing loyalty to the British sovereign. Royal sources said the King and Queen were "immensely looking forward to the Autumn tour".
Tour Details and Schedule
Prior to CHOGM, the King will undertake a visit to The Bahamas, of which he is also head of state. Charles will then undertake an official State Visit to Guyana, at the invitation of the President of Guyana and at the request of the UK Government.
Buckingham Palace said the visit "will mark 60 years of bilateral relations between the UK and Guyana." The King and Queen's Autumn Tour "will celebrate communities, cultures and Nature within the Commonwealth family", a statement from the palace added.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) will be held from November 1-4 in St John's, Antigua and Barbuda, and will bring together leaders from the 56 Commonwealth countries, as well as representatives from business, civil society, and youth organisations. Charles, 77, is expected to deliver a keynote address at the gathering - in his role as Head of the Commonwealth.
Previous Visits and Significance
The theme of this year's meeting is 'Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth'. The King, when Prince of Wales, visited Antigua and Barbuda in November 2017, following the widespread devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
He has also previously made official visits to Guyana in February 2000 and The Bahamas in July 1973. The upcoming visit will be the first official visit to Antigua and Barbuda by the Queen.
