Why the King's Caribbean tour could be 'biggest risk of his reign'

Royal tours are unpredictable beasts.

The planning is meticulous and dates back months, sometimes years, but there is always jeopardy.

King Charles III's visit to the Caribbean, which starts on Tuesday, takes him to three countries in nine days: the Bahamas, Guyana and finally Antigua and Barbuda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm).

The King will make three significant speeches during the Caribbean trip and will follow government advice not to issue an official apology for Britain's role in the transatlantic slave trade.

Buckingham Palace says that acknowledging the wrongs of the past will be built into the King's programme in all three countries.

This is the reality for the King and Buckingham Palace, and they are accepting of it.

Lurking in the back of Royal Household minds will also be memories of the last tour by senior royals to the Caribbean in the early part of 2022.

Then, as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Catherine found themselves facing criticism over the optics of the trip - images of the royal couple reaching out to touch the outstretched hands of Jamaican children through a wire fence looked clumsy. Engagements designed as tributes to past royal visits appeared outdated. And protests also caused the cancellation of a small part of the schedule.

Kaynak: BBC News World RSS (Açık Basın / Haber Servisi)