Hundreds gathered in King’s Square to watch an “enduring relationship between tradition and governance” during the 210th annual Peppercorn Ceremony today.

Dignitaries, including Andrew Murdoch, the Governor; David Burt, the Premier; Commissioner of Police Darrin Simons; and Lieutenant-Colonel Duncan Simons, Commanding Officer of the Royal Bermuda Regiment, attended the event, which celebrates brothers from the St George’s Masonic Lodge presenting the Governor with one peppercorn in payment for being allowed to meet at the State House for the year.

Quinell Francis, the Mayor of St George, said the ceremony was “not simply a charming custom”.

She added: “It’s a powerful symbol of continuation, covenant, stewardship and the enduring legacy between tradition and governance.”

The Royal Bermuda Regiment band performed during the ceremony, which included Freemasons representing lodges in Canada, the United States and Lebanon.

Ms Francis noted that in the past year murals in King’s Square and Penno’s Wharf had been completed; World Poetry Day was observed; and a section of Government Hill Road had been renamed Gina Swainson Way in recognition of the Bermudian who was crowned Miss World in 1979.

She told attendees: “These initiatives reflect a town actively shaping its future while honouring its past.”

Ms Francis also highlighted how the Municipalities Reform Act 2026, which sought to end municipal elections in Hamilton and St George, had passed in the House of Assembly but was rejected by the Senate last month.

She explained: “While the legislation has not advanced at this time, it has brought into sharper focus a question of how to ensure effective, accountable and representative governance for our municipalities.”

Ms Francis added: “What must endure, regardless of legislative outcomes, is our commitment to preservation and stewardship.

“Councils may change and process may evolve but the duty to safeguard the character, heritage and integrity of St George must remain unwavering.

“The protection of our architectural treasures, our cultural traditions and our historic fortifications is not optional, it’s essential.”

She said her heart was and would remain within the Olde Towne, which she claimed inspired a “commitment to see our town continue to flourish.”

Mr Murdoch said the King’s visit to Bermuda would begin in St George next week.

He explained: “In a royal visit that will extend from east to west across this extraordinary archipelago, I can think of no better place to begin than in St George, a Unesco World Heritage Site, a town of exceptional historical significance and, above all, a vibrant and welcoming community.”

Mr Murdoch added: “We should move away from seeing this as merely a continuation of a rather archaic English property law transaction, instead it is profoundly symbolic — symbolic that value can take many forms, symbolic of the enduring relationship between history and contemporary life and symbolic of co-operation between organisations within a community for the benefit of the community.”

RBR soldiers marched through the Olde Towne at the end of the ceremony.

Captain Travis Stevens, the parade commander, said: “Our roots in St George’s go extremely deep and the parish is always welcoming to us.

“The culmination is our representation at the Royal Artillery Association to enjoy some camaraderie and share stories of shared sacrifice and commitment with members of the RAA.”

Bermudian Glenda Smith has not seen the ceremony in-person for at least 20 years because she lives in Florida.

Ms Smith said: “This event brought me out to St George today, I love all of it, especially the band.”

Brenda Saunders, another Bermudian, said: “I used to come when I was working in a school. My husband and I used to get invited, we used to sit with our big hats.

“I just like to come to it, the peppercorn ceremony itself and the band are beautiful.”

Regiment private Da-Mond Jordan took part in the ceremony for the first time yesterday.

He said: “It feels good to be out there with everybody, it feels good to know that I’m using my time wisely.”