King Charles III arrived in the Bahamas on Tuesday as part of a nine-day trip to the Caribbean , where he faces calls for an apology and slavery reparations.

It's his first official visit to the Bahamas as king, with the archipelago's government closing all public schools on the island of New Providence to welcome him.

The Bahamian police and armed forces strode out to greet Charles in lockstep, some wearing pith helmets.

Charles stepped out in a light gray suit and greeted Governor-General Dame Cynthia A. Pratt and Prime Minister Philip Davis.

Charles is scheduled to make a stop at Clifford Park, which he last officially visited as Prince of Wales in 1973 to grant the Bahamas independence after 300 years of British rule.

Charles also is expected to visit a nature site and meet with the Royal Bahamas Defense Force as well as government officials and civil society leaders.

Some in the Bahamas hope his visit will draw attention to an ongoing environmental struggle on an island that forms part of the…