Was Paul expecting a royal welcome upon his arrival?

The apostle uses the same word (parousia) to describe his return to Philippi that he uses in another place (1 Thessalonians 1:1 – 5:28) for Christ’s return. In classical Greek this term was sometimes used to describe a visit of a ruler to a certain place. Accordingly Beare has suggested that Paul wanted to indicate that upon his return to Philippi, a royal welcome would (or should) be awaiting him. This is, however, not in the spirit of the apostle. He was too modest for that. Moreover, in itself the word parousia has a more neutral meaning (arrival, presence; see 1 Corinthians 16:17; 2 Corinthians 7:6–7; Philippians 2:12).¹