The King made a joke at his own expense as he hosted Commonwealth leaders at the end of his Caribbean trip, saying he would provide an "umbrella for you all".
The King was caught in a tropical rain storm during the Antiguan leg of his trip, shown gesticulating and calling for an umbrella during a military ceremony in footage which has gone around the world.
Speech at final CHOGM dinner
Delivering a speech at a final dinner at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, in which he hosted 84 dignitaries at Blue Waters hotel last night, he called the "family of nations" one of the "world's more improbable organisations", spanning some of the "largest countries and Earth and the small".
He said: "It is one of the few organisations able to unite countries famous for snow, countries famous for deserts, and, most of all – countries whose citizens are utterly convinced they enjoy perfect weather all year round."
"Although perhaps part of my role as Head of the Commonwealth is to provide an umbrella for you all…!" The joke was received with laughter in the dining hall, and a round of applause.
Meeting with Prime Ministers
The King hosted the UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, as well as heads of government from around the Commonwealth. Speaking about the welcome given to the King and his wife to Antigua and Barbuda, His Majesty said: "We have been enormously touched by the kindness with which we have been received wherever we have gone."
"And I must say that, during my visit here, it has been a great pleasure to meet so many Prime Ministers – almost as many as I've had at home!"
In more serious moments, he touched on the importance of the Commonwealth. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we meet at a time when many of the institutions on which the world has long relied are under great strain, and when it is all too tempting for nations to retreat behind ever higher walls," he said.
"I cannot help feeling that such a world would be poorer, more fragile and, if I may say so, a good deal lonelier and more dangerous. Our Commonwealth, I think, offers another path. We are a family of fifty-six nations that span every inhabited continent and embrace the widest range of faiths, and, despite everything, care for one another."
"No treaty compels any of us to be here. We come because we choose to – and, looking around this room tonight, I find that a source of enormous encouragement and pride."
Dinner details and local touches
The King and Queen welcomed 84 guests to the dinner one by one. He wore a black tie, miniature medals, the order of merit neck order and the garter star. The Queen wore a white evening dress by Anna Valentine, embroidered with a Dagger Log, the national flower of Antigua.
The menu consisted of local ingredients from Antigua and Barbuda. A salad of avocado, green beans, quails eggs and cherry tomatoes with a pesto dressing was followed by papillote of Mahi-Mahi, a locally-caught fish, with seasonal vegetables. An Antiguan black pineapple tarte tatin followed, with hand-painted chocolates to finish.
The wine list consisted of Camel Valley English sparkling wine, which holds a double royal warrant, and wines from the wine-producing realms of New Zealand, Australia, and Canada.
A bespoke cocktail, called the 'Commonwealth 56' in a twist on the French 75, was served, made from Antilles Stillhouse Pink Sorrel Hibiscus Gin made on the hills above the English harbour in Antigua, and a sugar syrup from Buckingham Palace honey.
It follows a new palace tradition introduced in the King's reign for State visits in the UK, in which an in-house mixologist creates a bespoke cocktail reflecting the traditions of the visiting country.
Each table had a woven bead centrepiece, made by a local artist who goes by the name of Sexy Sue. The napkins were woven in the national fabric of Antigua and Barbuda, and the bread baskets were made by the Industrial Workshop for the Blind in Saint John's.
During dinner, a trio of musicians led by Antiguan pianist Khadijah Simon played, followed by two pipers from the National Piping Centre of Scotland and a drummer to bring the evening to a close.
