Cook Islands joined the rest of the world in congratulating the newly crowned King Charles III, who is now officially our Head of State.

King Charles was crowned at London’s Westminster Abbey on Saturday at the age of 74 after the passing of his mother Queen Elizabeth II in September last year.

King’s Representative Sir Tom Marsters and Lady Tuaine Marsters represented the Cook Islands at the Coronation.

In a statement, Prime Minister Mark Brown said: “King Charles III is now officially our Head of State. God save the King. In fact our Members of Parliament became the one of the first in the Commonwealth to swear allegiance to the new king when our Parliament opened earlier this year. He is just our second Head of State in our history. In 1965, his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II became Head of State of the Cook Islands when our country became independent on August 4, 1965.”

“While we are literally on the other side of the world from Britain, we are connected as members of the Commonwealth. Our relationship with the Crown continues to be strong, acknowledging the past and looking to the future. A future that now sees us building on an already strong bond with the British Monarchy and, King Charles III,

“Our King’s Representative Sir Tom Marsters and Tuaine, Lady Marsters represented us at the Coronation. I was blessed to have attended her late Majesty’s funeral and thought at the time I was witnessing one of the greatest moments in history the world will ever see, something I will forever cherish. This weekend’s Coronation, which I stayed up to watch till 3am, has shown that the British are paramount in the world at putting on theatre, precision theatre. None of us would have seen anything like this before.

“In her own words, Her Late Majesty said she needed ‘to be seen to be believed’. This weekend the world got to see incredible pageantry, pomp, discipline, symbolism that goes back centuries, and a very rich history of tradition.

“I do hope that the King will find time to visit our country in the near future.”