King Charles became the king of the waves today as he was given a special boat trip with the Bermuda Coast Guard - as huge crowds came to greet him during his first visit to the British overseas territory as monarch. 

The monarch got to see the elite group's work up close, as he boarded a Fast Inshore Patrol Boat and ripped through the bay at up to 50mph.

The King was given a briefing by the Coast Guard Commanding Officer, Major Jeffrey Patterson, who explained about the Bermuda Coast Guard's work providing safety of life at sea, and tackling illegal fishing and smuggling.

The Royal Bermuda Regiment Coast Guard was established in 2020 and has already become an internationally recognised force, with elite training from UK and US Coast Guard.

Charles said hello to locals as he made his way onto the speed boat at the dock ward, with one man holding a glass of rose from his boat replying: 'God save the King'.

The King, alongside his protection officers and senior staff, donned a protective life jacket and waved to two more boats of locals waving Bermudan and Union flags.

The King's boat then took off out the former Royal Navy dockyard and headed towards the opposite side of the south part of the usuals.

As well as protecting the island, the unit also assists with marine distress incidents, oil spills or pollution incidents as well as providing support to Disaster Response Management.

One marine commando serving with the Bermudan force said: 'We are growing all the time and it's an honour to be serving with the force.

'We've all been super excited to show the King how the unit operates.'

The Unit also participates in joint operations with Customs, Immigration, Fisheries, Marine and Ports, the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service and the Police Service to ensure maritime safety and security.

During key maritime events on the island, such as the Newport to Bermuda Race, the Round the Island Boat Race and other notable maritime activities, the Coast Guard leads planning with other agencies.

The King is powering ahead as he embarks on a whirlwind tour of Bermuda today just hours after concluding his triumphant state visit to the United States.

Despite a punishing schedule in America, Charles, 77 - who is still undergoing cancer treatment - is making his first visit as monarch to a British overseas territory.

He flew in yesterday from Washington but his engagements begin on earnest today with no less than eight different public elements.

He is conducting the trip solo after his wife, Queen Camilla, flew back on a commercial flight from the US capital as part of a long-standing arrangement.

Locals started gathering around King's Square in Bermuda from 8am this morning to secure their positions along the Union flag covered railings.

Schoolchildren were brimming with excitement as they stood waving their Bermudan and UK flags in the sunshine.

Theo Godfrey, four, was fittingly dressed in a replica King's Guard uniform, complete with the red tunic and bearskin hat worn by the guards standing outside St James's Palace and Buckingham Palace.

His mother purchased the outfit from the official Buckingham Palace shop two years ago and joked: 'He's worn it ever since!'

Sisters Freya, nine, and Sophie, seven, said they were 'very excited' to see the King and wave their flags, though they were disappointed they had to return to school once Charles had left. 

Jane Gregory, a retired banker, said she saw the late Queen Elizabeth II when she visited in 2009 and has come today because it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet the King.

'It means a lot to me that he's coming,' she said. 'I'm from England originally it means a huge amount to me, I'm very excited.'

The weather has markedly improved since downpours and strong winds earlier this morning, with bright sunshine breaking through shortly before the King's arrival.

Siblings Albie, six, and Aurora, four, spent last night and this morning making two posters to show the King.

The first, written in red white and blue and complete with a Union flag, read: 'Welcome to St George's Bermuda King Charles III.'

They also made a crown, which Aurora held on a stick.

Their parents said they wanted to come down because their surname is George, the same as the town, former monarchs and the second in line to the throne.

In the lead up to the royal arrival, town crier Ed Christopher was practicing his bell ringing - much to the delight of the primary school children.

He has been in the role since the late Queen's visit in 1994 and he covers the whole island.

'Are you excited to see the King?' he was asked.

He replied: 'I hope the King is excited to see me!'

Mr Christopher will announce the King's arrival.

A large banner was hung from the Whitehorse pub, the oldest pub in St George's, welcoming Charles - though it mistakenly includes the Queen too.

It read: 'Warm greetings to Your Majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla.'

His Majesty will be officially welcomed in St George's - Bermuda's former capital - at its ceremonial centre in King's Square.

As the King arrives at King's Square, a 21-gun salute will conclude and the King will be received by the Commanding Officer of the Royal Bermuda Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Duncan Simons.

On the Dais, a Royal Salute will be given before the National Anthem is played by the regimental band. 

The King will be invited to inspect the guard, accompanied by Parade Commander, Major Kenji Bean.

Proceeding to the Town Hall, the King will meet the Premier of Bermuda and members of Cabinet, alongside the Mayor of St George and local councillors, before returning to the square to meet community members who have gathered to watch the ceremonial welcome.

Before departing, the King will proceed to St Peter's Church, having last visited in 1970 to deliver the Speech from the Throne for the 350th opening of Bermudian Parliament.

The King will meet the Bishop of Bermuda, the Right Reverend Nicholas Dill and Priest in Charge, Reverend Thomas Nisbett who will show His Majesty some of the church, which continues to be a place of active worship in Bermuda. 

St Peter's Church was designated 'Their Majesties Chappell' by Queen Elizabeth II during her Diamond Jubilee year in 2012, in recognition of their 400th anniversary.

Students from local schools will line the 26-steps up to the church to greet the King.  

In the capital of Hamilton, the King viewed an art and cultural showcase, including a stonemason, a cedar artisan, 'Banana Doll' makers, traditional kite-makers and a group of artists who will be painting the scene.

Hundreds of people had gathered on the lawn to see him and dozens more stood on rooftops or peered out of windows. 

When he arrived at City Hall, the crowds went wild cheering his name and clapping. 

The King took his time as he viewed each of the exhibits and chatted to the artists. 

Before heading inside to chat to schoolchildren showcasing their art, he went to greet the cheering crowds who repeatedly shouted: 'King Charles III.'

Inside City Hall, the King met Bermuda-born Michael Frith - designer of the Muppets, Fraggle Rock and Dr. Seuss - and his wife, Kathryn Mullen. 

The couple showed him some of their favourite puppets and told him about the use of the toys in their charity work, such as helping children living in warzones overcome trauma. 

The pair posed for photos in front of Frozzie Bear before heading back outside to meet the remaining artists. 

Pointing to one painter who had half a dozen paint brushes in his hair, the King said: 'That's handy.' 

The artist replied: 'This is the best place to keep them.'

School children shouted to get his attention, prompting another short walkabout before leaving to his next engagement. 

Charles later saw a colourful dance display by several of the island's Gombey dance troops, an African-Caribbean tradition that dates back to slavery. 

Arriving by car, the King got out to see men and some children dancing in neon-coloured outfits with tassels on their trousers and elaborate masks and tall pointed headgear topped off with plumes of ostrich feathers.

During slavery, people were banned from performing except for once or twice a year and had to wear masks which are still seen in the performances as an acknowledgement of the brutal history that dancers endured.

Irwin Trott, spokesman for the Bermudan Gombey dance troops, met the King and told him about the background of the tradition.

Charles heard that there were three forms of the dance: the fast or freedom dance, the masquerade and the Junkana.

Mr Trott said: 'I was the one who took a few minutes to give the King a brief history of our culture and its significance to our people on the island.

'I told him that it's a combination of cultures, African, Caribbean, West Indian, Native American and, of course, Great Britain.

'I then explained the Gombey regalia from the head dress to everything else.'

Trott didn't have a long enough conversation with the King to go through all the history but said afterwards: 'Gombey is a premise from the Atlantic Slave Trade when they were brought over by the colonisers and shipped to New England and the Caribbean islands, even though they were stripped of their identity , names were taken, their language was taken, deep in their heart they maintained their culture, and so it still flourished throughout the Caribbean.

'It was prohibited sot hey were only permitted to perform on Christmas and New Year's.'

Now, it is seen as a celebration of culture with eight different Gombey dance troops in Bermuda.

The Gombey dance tradition is rooted in African culture and was made popular in St Kitts, later spreading across the Caribbean. 

In the exhibition space at the 1850 Ordnance House, the King viewed items relating to the Transatlantic slave trade, including neck irons form the 1500s.

The small but stark display traced the darker moments in the island's history, with a cabinet dedicated to trade, slavery and conquest.

It included a drawn image of shackled men sitting in a slave ship and several examples of neck irons.

The King was also shown exhibits detailing the history of Bermuda and its shipwrecks, seeming astonished at the number recorded on a map via red dots, and its trade.

He paused in front of the irons and pointed to them, asking Elena Strong, Executive Director of the National Museum of Bermuda who was showing him around, about them.

His words could not be heard above the drumming outside, but he did not shy away from looking at them in front of the cameras.

A label on the display, describing the neck irons from San Pedro in 1595, said: 'From 1550 to 1595, the official records show that 36,300 enslaved Africans were important into Spanish Southern America.' It added that the true number was higher.

A further note read: 'Slavery formed the backbone of European Empire building. A large expendable workforce was needed to mine for silver and gold and to work sugar plantations.

'Once the enslaved Native American workforce was exhausted - killed off by disease, hard labour and massacres - the Portuguese and Spanish turned to West Africa as a source of slaves.'

The British settled the island from 1609 and it become a British Crown Colony in 1684.

Later the King watched the release of an Atlantic seabird after being ringed and joked 'It's bound to land on my head'.

Charles travelled to Trunk island, one of the many rocky outcrops around Bermuda, to chat to children being taught about conservation and wildlife through practical education, known as living classrooms led by the Bermuda Zoological Society (BZS).

The King looked on as the feisty Longtail pecked at its handler as Patrick Talbot, curator of the Bermuda Aquarium and Zoo, fitted the ring.

When Mr Talbot added 'you know what they say…' Charles stopped him from completing the old adage about bird droppings bringing good luck if they land on you, saying 'I know, I know'.

The island is being transformed back to native habitat after foreign plant and tree species took over much of Bermuda and the new environment has become the perfect place to relocate threatened animals from other parts of Bermuda.

The King planted a cedar tree, a native species that has been mostly lost from the island and which provided hurricane protection and other benefits.

He asked a member of the BZS 'are you getting the message through' after treading the earth around the sapling and was told 'conservation and education go hand in hand and we need to get the message to the next generation.'

During the visit Charles was joined by a group of children as they watched three land hermit crabs being released and scuttling into the undergrowth after being moved from a development site that threatened them.