King Tupou VI, King of Tonga, arrives in the country on Wednesday to be part of the University of the South Pacific’s Alafua campus graduation on Friday.

As the USP Chancellor, he will be the chief guest at the graduation that will take place at the Samoa Football Apia Complex.

This would mark the royal first visit by King Tupou VI to Samoa. The Tongan monarch has a deeply intertwined historical and cultural connection to Samoa, with past royal diplomacy shaping relations between the two island nations.

There are no announcements yet from either the Tongan or Samoan government about any other engagements.

Tupou VI has been the King of Tonga since 2012. He served as Prime Minister of Tonga from 2000 to 2006 during the reign of his father, King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV.

Meanwhile, in February this year, Prime Minister La’aulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt invited Tonga’s Prime Minister, Lord Fakafanua, to attend Samoa’s Independence Day celebrations in June, as the two leaders also opened discussions on possible direct flights between the neighbouring Pacific nations.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the pair spoke by telephone to exchange congratulations and reaffirm longstanding ties between Tonga and Samoa.