With much of Cayman’s attention being drawn later in the year to the local political upheaval, changes to the islands in its role as a British Overseas Territory – in the form of the coronation of a new king and the appointment of a new governor – seem distant memories.
But 2023 was a momentous year for the Cayman Islands and its relationship with the United Kingdom.
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, her son Charles immediately ascended the throne. However, his official coronation was not held until May this year – with all the attendant pomp and ceremony.
Charles III and his wife Camilla were crowned king and queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth at Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday, 6 May.
Among those in attendance at the ceremony were then Premier Wayne Panton, who said the ceremony had filled him with “profound hope and optimism for the future of our islands”.
Two RCIPS officers and six members of the Cayman Islands Regiment also represented the Cayman Islands at the coronation.
Locally, Cayman marked the coronation with a public holiday on Monday, 9 May, and a family-focused street party in George Town, followed by fireworks.
Also attending the coronation in London was Cayman’s new governor, Jane Owen, who had taken over from Governor Martyn Roper just two weeks earlier.
Roper had served as governor from October 2018 until March 2023. In a parting message from him and his wife Lissie, Roper said, “It has been the honour of our lives to share this time with you all, and we will much miss the kindness and warmth of Cayman’s community.”
Governor Owen arrived in Cayman on 21 April, with her daughter Phoebe and her Labrador dog Benji, to a round of welcome receptions and visits to the various districts.
“I feel that you can’t really be governor unless you are going out and talking to people and hearing what they’ve got to say,” Owen told the Compass shortly after taking up residence at Government House.
In her eight months as governor, Owen has hosted her first garden party for the king’s birthday, delivered her first Throne Speech before Parliament, and sworn in members of the new United People’s Movement government.
There was also a royal visit in 2024 when Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, spent a whirlwind two days on the islands, on 20-22 Feb.
King Charles’ youngest brother flew to Little Cayman to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his patronage of the Central Caribbean Marine Institute and to launch the institute’s Coral Fund. He also spent time with the Cayman Islands Coast Guard, Cadet Corps and Regiment.
Meanwhile, back on Grand Cayman, Sophie was a hit as she opened the annual Agriculture Show with the traditional ringing of a cow bell, and played dodgeball with children at the YMCA Field of Dreams. As a global ambassador of 100 Women in Finance, she also attended a function hosted by the local charity.
Related Videos
