King Charles waves goodbye to Bermuda after another successful trip | Royal | News

The King waved goodbye to Bermuda this afternoon after packing in 12 engagements in under 24 hours on the sunny island. Charles spent his final day learning about an ambitious UK Space Agency project to track space debris and open the new Great Bay Coast Guard Station.

At St David’s Island, the King went on an impromptu walkabout to chat to well-wishers who had waited for hours in the sun. They told him “Thank you so much for coming” and “It’s such a pleasure to have you”.

He went inside the home of the Royal Bermuda Coastguard, where he saw the operations room where staff can monitor CCTV images of the coastline and track vessels.

Outside, he was shown the Deep Trekker, a robot oil drive which can be deployed underwater in areas that are difficult or dangerous to reach, and the Anafi Parrot drone, which can reach heights of 1,000ft and is useful for searching for missing people in the sea.

The area on the Pacific island was identified for its unique position in the world, which will allow the agency and its partners to track harmful debris flying around space.

The first phase of the £40 million ‘Project Nova’ is to establish three telescopes on the North-west coast of Bermuda, about 1,100km off the US coast, that will be able to spot asteroids or rogue satellites heading towards Earth.

After hearing more about space debris and methods for catching it, the King was shown a video of Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, one of the Artemis II crew, whom Charles had written to ahead of the mission.

Recorded as the crew were returning to Earth, he said: “I shared your letter with the crew and it really resonated with the crew deeply, specifically your thoughts around scientific pursuit, stewardship and reverence for all that is sacred.”

Before unveiling a plaque at the site to announce its launch, Charles spoke to the Astra Carta team working with UKSA and revealed he had just commissioned a garden in the design of the planetary installations.

He said: “I’ve just done a garden based on the planetary movements, because if you trace them, it’s amazing how they all form the most beautiful patterns. It’s so interconnected, really, in all forms. So as they say, the force is with us.”

The King then arrived at LF Wade International Airport to a guard of honour formed by the Royal Bermuda Regiment and a small group of dignitaries to bid farewell to their royal visitor.

Just as he approached the step, Charles made a detour and joined assembled Police motorbike outriders, security personnel and other officers for a large group photo. After climbing the steps, Charles turned and waved as the tour ended.

The King arrived in Bermuda on Thursday night after travelling straight from the US.

He had a brief moment of respite during his whirlwind trip, enjoying the outdoor pool at Government House and cups of tea on the terrace, but he will be looking forward to resting up when he lands back in London tonight.