Charles and Camilla abort flight home from Samoa with connecting flight in India

The King and Queen stayed in India when they returned from a trip to Samoa as Charles followed advice to take periods of rest to prioritize his recovery from cancer.

The 23-hour flight to India was meant to “interrupt” their 33-hour journey from Samoa to England, Buckingham Palace said.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “Their Majesties made a short private stopover in India to break up the long journey back from Samoa.”

It is understood that the stoppage was not related to any sudden health concerns, but was part of instructions given to the king to rest during the tour.

Both Charles and Camilla visited India several times on official trips and personal vacations.

Charles embarked on an autumn tour from Friday 18 October to Saturday 26 October, visiting Australia and Samoa.

The tour was cut short due to the 75-year-old monarch’s recent cancer diagnosis, which Buckingham Palace announced on February 5 this year.

As a result of the modified tour, New Zealand was dropped from the schedule, a choice made “in collaboration” with the Australian and New Zealand governments.

Before the start of the tour, the monarch was given a day to recover; there were no evening events, including state dinners.

His cancer requires regular medical treatment, but doctors have decided he is well enough to authorize the trip and suspend treatment until he returns to the UK.

Their Majesties arrived in the UK on a nine-hour commercial flight on Wednesday morning.

Now he is home, the king will resume his treatment.

The tour marked Charles’s first visit to Australia as king. He visited Canberra and Sydney, where he met with a mixed reception.

At Parliament House in Canberra, he was criticized by 51-year-old Australian senator Lydia Thorpe, who accused the king of “genocide” of indigenous peoples.

However, thousands of people arrived to greet Charles and Camilla at the Sydney Opera House.

The couple also visited the independent state of Samoa, where they attended the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

In Samoa, Charles was awarded the high title of chief and, saying goodbye, declared that he “will always remain loyal to this part of the world.”