Charlie Was
pp. 14-15 · Read in the full issue
Their
Darling
From a Suva correspondent Charles Windsor, Prince of Wales and heir to Britain’s Throne, could have been King of Fiji in his own right in October. Already a favourite with the many who saw him and read about him during his visits here in 1970 and earlier this year, he captured 99 per cent of Fiji’s hearts in the four days here from October 8 and did it so disarmingly that Cakobau’s crown could have been his for the asking.
And maybe he wouldn’t have minded. His obvious delight at being here again wasn’t just another Royal job like opening a town hall or lay ing a foundation stone. A good mixer in the Buckingham Palace new look in which royal restraint and formality have gone by the board, he got among the people and made Fiji’s Cession Centenary Year as much an enjoyable thing for himself as did the many thousands of Fiji people who enjoyed the four-day, $350,000 junket.
Everyone believed him when he
told the welcoming thousands at Suva’s Albert Park on October 8, “I was filled with joy when my mother, her Majesty the Queen, asked me to represent her at celebrations to mark the centenary of the link with the British Crown.”
But the Queen could hardly have chosen anyone else, except herself, of course. Prince Charles has Fiji
in his own portfolio. He was here, in October, 1970, and scored a triumph, when he gave back to Fiji, as representative of the Crown, its ownself, which the chiefs, headed by King Cakobau, ceded to Prince Charles’ great - great - great - grand mother, the many islands of Fiji, j He brought it back. He was here again in February on an unofficial call when the British frigate, HMS Jupiter, in which he was serving as radio officer, just happened to be passing through Fiji waters.
As it was an unofficial visit, he really let his hair down, diving into the water off Beqa to join Fijians in a fish drive, and dancing the tuibotoj a Fijian conga dance, with a Fijian girl The hair came down this time as well, and no doubt a picture taken of the heir to the throne doing a hula with a Cook Islands girl will have gone round the world.
There were cries of “Nice bold" from Fijian girls when he landed a!
Nadi Airport in a RAF VC 10 which flew miniature standards (his personal standard) and the Fiji flag over the
His Royal Hula Highness in a pose which showed he knew what it was all about when he did the Island thing with Cook Islander Helen Frankhen at Suva's Trade winds Hotel—one of those delightful episodes which endeared the prince to Fiji.— Photo: Chris Moorehouse, Fiji Times
. . . And Fiji was Charlie's
light-deck. Nice bola is the female volf-whistle in Fijian.
He hadn’t much time to spare be ore he was at Albert Park for his ►fficial welcome which included the indent and lengthy Fijian cere nonies. For these Fiji’s Prime Minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, at on the ground with the other hiefs in his capacity as Tui (king) Jayau and paramount chief of the ,au Group. Also on the ground was idi Lady Lala Mara, who is para lount chief of Rewa.
The following day, the Royal Navy nrvey ship HMS Hydra took the rince to Levuka, the ancient capi d, and Charles straddled a century f history as he stood on the site on r hich was signed the Deed of Ces on. Surrounded by Fijian chiefs, escendants of those who signed ic deed, he unveiled a centenary □mmemorative plaque, making a >tal of three on site.
He spent some time talking to the :hoolchildren before boarding HMS !ydra for the chiefly island of Bau )r more ceremonies with a swim id 30 minutes water skiing on the ay.
The Bauans’ welcome was a royal le with the whole gamut of Fijian ;remonial and Fijian dances thrown for extras. With the prince was iji’s Governor-General, Ratu Sir eorge Cakobau, great-grandson of ing Cakobau, whose traditional ime is on Bau.
The celebrations climaxed on the ird day when the prince spent five iurs at Suva’s Albert Park. This as everybody’s day, a multi-racial Fort, which began with the Troop g of the Colour, a martial cere ony which the Royal Fiji Military arces do so well and ended with royal Islands night at the Trade inds Hotel just outside the city oper. It was here that the prince d the hula with Cook Islander elen Frankhen, a university student No, along with other girls, asked e prince for a dance.
In Fiji, the girls do the asking, lere are no shy wallflowers at Fiji mces.
The ceremonies at the park were most a carbon copy of the 1970 remonies when the prince pre nted Fiji’s Prime Minister with the icuments of independence.
The fourth day of the visit pro iced some scenes which couldn’t linked with protocol but which deared the prince to Fiji if by at time Fiji needed any more con acing that Prince Charles was the amber One Nice Bola. No doubt,
he’s convinced the Cook Islanders as well. He was around north-west Viti Levu at Nadi, Lautoka, Ba and Vatukoula and it was at the gold mining town that it happened. Cook Island dancing girls on their way home from a tour of Japan gave a dancing display which delighted the prince.
When the dance ended he made straight for the dancers. They weren’t slow to react. One girl slipped a bead lei around his neck and then, in Cook Island fashion, kissed his cheek, Charles enjoyed it and then
enjoyed some more of the same treatment when the other nine fol lowed suit.
Ceremonial and unrehearsed wel comes followed him all day, his last in Fiji.
He heard speeches and saw dances, coconut husking and cane loading exhibitions and so enjoyed his brief stop at Ba that he made the halt 30 minutes instead of only 15 minutes.
It was there, in an off-the-cuff speech, that he made Fiji prouder than ever. He said he always en joyed his visits to Fiji because he received “the best welcome of any country I know.”
He’ll be back.