King Charles’ association with the Guyanese people

October 31, 20264 min read

Dear Editor,

The first time, as the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, I met Prince Charles, it was at a reception hosted by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, during the 15th Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations held in Edinburgh, Scotland, between 24 October and 27, 1997^[1].

Regrettably owing to her hectic schedule at home President Janet Jagan was not available to attend the Edinburgh meeting. She therefore sought and got cabinet’s approval for me to represent Guyana at the event. I was honoured to do so.

At the reception, I encountered the Prince and promptly introduced myself. After telling him which member state I was from, I reminded him that his mother and father and many other members of the royal family had visited British Guiana and then Guyana but he never did and he should.

The Prince appeared surprised by my direct and frank approach but his calm and cool response admitting that he never did visit Guyana was equally surprising to me.

I took his admission as an opening for me to press the matter further. I then requested that he seriously consider visiting Guyana. Once again, I was taken aback by his rather pleasant response and conversational engagement with me while standing. He asked just a few questions about Guyana and at the end of our conversation agreed to take up my invitation should a formal request be submitted to his office.

A few weeks after my return home, the then British High Commissioner (BHC) to Guyana Mr. Edward Glover made a courtesy call on my office at Takuba Lodge. The purpose of his visit was to convey to me the Prince’s decision to visit at a date to be agreed between his office, the MFA and the BHC.

Cabinet was informed, the visit was approved and arrangements were set in train. Foreign Affairs, the BHC and the Prince’s office in London worked smoothly and efficiently on a programme and other protocolar details.

The visit to Guyana by the Prince was in February 2000.^[2] His visit was highly successful. Both the Prince and the then government of Guyana were pleased and highly satisfied with the visit.

News of King Charles’ visit to Guyana naturally evoked my interest, however due to a bout with the flu I could not attend the reception at State House hosted by the President.

Nevertheless, I was pleased to see from TV broadcasts that the King was warmly welcomed on arrival and given all the military honours associated with a visiting King. Also. I was pleased to see from tele-broadcasts that the King enjoyed the cultural performances put on by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.

The King is much like his father Philip, very chatty and engaging, asking pointed questions and keenly listening for answers.

The king is a highly educated man and an intelligent one too. He is not an artefact of royalty. He is very knowledgeable of world affairs and has a deep and abiding interest in people especially indigenous communities in the countries making up the Commonwealth of Nations. From conversations with him and reading credible reports about him, it is obvious that he has a clear understanding and appreciation of human history and the progress mankind has made in countries around the world. He has already made his views known about the abominable slave trade. In the UK, reparations from Britain for enslavement and colonialism appears to be government business.

The King has not missed or overlooked the rapidly rising tide of climate change and its consequential disasters including its incredible and horrendous impact on the natural environment.

Prince Charles’ association and relationships with the Guyanese people is not a tale of unfulfilled promise. On the contrary, it is one of the most sustainable and fulfilling periods ever since the new generation of royals have occupied the throne at Buckingham.

In this connection, reports indicate that The King’s Foundation is currently expanding its involvement here in Guyana.^[3] The Foundation is currently working on the creation of healthy streets and canals in Georgetown; decongesting and redevelopment around Stabroek Market; the creation a hub for tourism; a centre for Global Bio-Diversity Alliance and a master plan for managing the expansion of Georgetown including the creation of a sister city comprising approximately 30,000 homes.^[3] These will be remarkable achievements when accomplished.

The sustainable transformation envisaged in various sections of the city of Georgetown with Minister Manickchand in charge is revealing nothing less than a new approach to city planning and urban development, it is an extraordinary and fresh picture of how city life must look.

It is hoped that we Guyanese will hear more about these five projects and that they will be trumpeted and celebrated as loudly as possibly when fully realized.

From all appearances it seems as though, those who were once in charge, like data junkies got accustomed to old ways of thinking and conceptualizing urban development and city planning; that they were yet to find compelling new methods and approaches to replace the fossilized and archaic ways of doing things.

The question is; shouldn’t they have seen that all along? For what, after all, is life and living if not extraordinary and challenging. And in the circumstances, has the time not come for a major city developmental paradigm shift that is life-centric?

I hope the King enjoyed his stay in Guyana. I wish him well, good health and long life.

Yours faithfully
Clement J. Rohee
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs

References

Nelson Mandela - Speeches - Remarks by President Nelson Mandela at Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting press conference, Edinburgh - Scotlandwww.mandela.gov.za ↩
BBC News | UK | Charles mobbed in Guyananewsimg.bbc.co.uk ↩
King’s Foundation outlines 30,000-home ‘sister city’ plan for Georgetownkiskadeewatch.com ↩

Nelson Mandela - Speeches - Remarks by President Nelson Mandela at Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting press conference, Edinburgh - Scotland

www.mandela.gov.za, Oct 25, 1997

BBC News | UK | Charles mobbed in Guyana

newsimg.bbc.co.uk, Feb 25, 2000

Friday, 25 February, 2000, 19:36 GMT Charles mobbed in Guyana The Prince toured one of the poorest districts in Guyana Prince Charles was mobbed by eager crowds when he visited one of the poorest areas of Guyana on his Caribbean tour. The Prince who walked through the streets of the Albouystown area of the capital Georgetown, was even hugged by a young boy. ... Charles shook hands with some of the hundreds of onlookers, who were waving Union Jacks and Guyanese flags, known as the Golden Arrows. He stopped to talk to several people along the way including 12-year-old Andrew British who had brought his parrot Marlon to see him. Andrew said later the Prince had asked him the bird's name. "Marlon didn't say anything as he doesn't speak to people he doesn't know," he added. New street name Albouystown is one of the most poverty stricken areas in the former British colony with matters made worse by dilapidated housing and a high crime rate. It is a no-go area for many Guyanese but local community leader Randolph Thorne said the Prince's visit would "help to change the image of the area and work against the stigma attached to this community". Mr Thorne also said a road may be renamed Prince Charles Street in memory of the event. Later the Prince visited the Help and Shelter centre for victims of domestic violence in Georgetown. 'Explosion' of violence As he entered the shelter, chairwoman Denise Dias showed him pinboards covered in photos of injuries suffered by different women and newspaper clippings with headlines such as "Man charged with rape of 12-year-old mum". "Do you deal with a lot of rape?" the Prince asked Ms Dias. She told him it was a big problem, partly because rum is so cheap in Guyana. "It is terrifying, these problems. It seems to be something that is exploding," Charles said. The Prince is conducting his first official visit to the Caribbean taking in a nine-day tour of former British colonies, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Jamaica.

King’s Foundation outlines 30,000-home ‘sister city’ plan for Georgetown

kiskadeewatch.com, Oct 26, 2026

The UK’s King’s Foundation says it is working on plans for a sister city to Georgetown comprising approximately 30,000 homes, along with offices and schools, and linked to the capital by high-speed transport. The work here by the charity set up by then Prince Charles in 1990 has raised eyebrows as there has been little discussion locally about the projects. It is unclear where the sister city will be located, what approvals are necessary for it and how it will be funded among other things. The proposed development is the largest of five projects outlined by the foundation in a video released ahead of King Charles III’s visit to Guyana later this next week. The King and Queen Camilla are expected to be in Guyana on Thursday and Friday. The other initiatives cover Georgetown’s streets and canals, the Stabroek Market area, historic waterfront buildings and a centre for the Global Biodiversity Alliance. Describing the sister city as its most ambitious undertaking in Guyana, the foundation said the intention was to establish another centre of activity to address the daily movement of people between residential communities outside Georgetown and the capital. The video did not identify the type of high-speed transport envisaged, or the development’s estimated timetable. Financing arrangements for the five projects were also not outlined. The proposals build on the Georgetown Urban Framework Plan, which the foundation has developed with the government and what it said were national and local stakeholders. In a March 9 statement, the foundation said the framework addresses drainage and flood resilience, transport, urban expansion and the protection of historic buildings, within Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030. The foundation had then outlined seven demonstration projects, including a sustainable town called Canal City, redevelopment of the Transport and Harbours Building, improvements to Stabroek Market and regeneration of the Water Street riverfront. Under the “Healthy Streets” initiative outlined in the video, the foundation is examining Georgetown’s street network alongside its canals, with the aim of making routes more accessible for walking and cycling. Work under that initiative is already taking place along Thomas Street, between Lamaha and Church streets. Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Priya Manickchand and representatives of the foundation inspected the works on September 30. The ministry described it as the first project under President Irfaan Ali’s Healthy Streets Initiative. However, Georgetown Mayor Alfred Mentore subsequently told Kiskadee Watch that he regarded the Thomas Street works primarily as a government initiative, despite the foundation’s involvement. He said he was uncertain whether the foundation had contributed financially, while confirming that discussions had taken place between its representatives and the Mayor and City Council. A second project highlighted in the video focuses on Stabroek Market and its surroundings, which the foundation described as effectively Georgetown’s main square. The proposals seek to ease congestion and improve trading spaces, including by extending market activity along Water Street. According to the foundation, this would build on the street’s earlier use as a market location while improving the surrounding streets. A third initiative, called the “Guyana Exchange”, envisages redevelopment of Transport and Harbours buildings into a tourism hub. The foundation described the location as an important historic site that could support the country’s tourism development. It is also designing a centre for the Global Biodiversity Alliance on the edge of the Botanic Gardens. The proposed sustainable building would showcase Guyanese timber and construction methods. The emphasis on local materials follows an earlier partnership involving the government, The King’s Foundation and Qatar Foundation’s Earthna Center for a Sustainable Future. Stabroek News reported in January 2025 that the two-year collaboration included plans for a signature building in Georgetown using Guyanese materials, construction techniques and local expertise, combined with international knowledge. The initiative was presented as a means of demonstrating how cultural and environmental heritage could inform modern construction under the LCDS. The wider planning process has also involved government agencies and municipal representatives. In November 2025, Stabroek News reported that Manickchand and Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water Vanessa Benn met a foundation delegation headed by its Executive Director of Projects, Ben Bolgar, to discuss the Urban Framework Plan for Greater and Central Georgetown. Representatives of the Ministry of Public Works, City Hall councillors and engineers, the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission and the Central Housing and Planning Authority attended. The plan was described as encompassing residential development, commercial expansion, highways, green systems and water management. In its latest video, the foundation said the five projects were being shaped through conversations with the President, government and other local stakeholders about their vision for Guyana’s future.

Source

King Charles’ association with the Guyanese people in Kiskadee Watch, October 31, 2026