The Cabinet approved $300,000 to upgrade the accommodation to host King Charles III when he visits Samoa for the Commonwealth Head of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in October. 

The leaders deliberated on the matter on 12 June 2024 signing off on $304,000 sourced from the $20 million allocation in the National Budget for the high-level meet. 

The Cabinet also confirmed the King’s visit to Samoa and his attendance at the opening of the CHOGM.  

A Cabinet Directive stated that $96,000 was for furniture and fitting, $79,000 for Presidential suite renovations, $20,000 for bath additions, $20,000 for water features, $79,400 for the driveway to the presidential suite, and $10,300 for the entrance roundabout. 

While in Samoa, King Charles will be staying at Sinalei Resort. 

The tour schedule for King Charles III and Queen Camilla has been shortened skipping New Zealand and his visit to Australia also cut short. 

According to the Mirror, the King changed his plans for the Oceania tour due to doctors’ fear he was doing too much following his cancer diagnosis. 

He and Queen Camilla would still be touring Australia and Samoa in October, but, his Australian tour has been cut by six days. 

However, he has now reportedly dropped the visit to New Zealand from his King Charles last visited New Zealand as the Prince of Wales, with Camilla as the Duchess of Cornwall in 2019, making stops in Auckland, Waitangi, Christchurch and Kaikōura.

The most recent royal visit saw Princess Anne and her husband Sir Tim Laurence travel to New Zealand in February 2023.