William, Catherine to visit Australia before King Charles

William and Catherine could tour Australia early next year ahead of King Charles III’s first royal visit as head of state.

William and Catherine could tour Australia early next year ahead of King Charles III’s first royal visit as head of state, The Australian reports.

The move is part of plans for a goodwill push by Buckingham Palace to cement the new monarchy in the wake of the Queen’s death.

It comes after Monday’s exclusive News Corp report that King Charles III is planning a visit to Australia in one of his first moves as monarch.

Prince William and wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, may visit Australia. Picture: Jack Hill - WPA Pool/Getty Image

The Palace is actively considering a visit by William and Catherine – possibly with their children George, Charlotte and Louis – soon after the King’s coronation, The Australian reports.

The King and Queen Consort Camilla are expected to follow later.

Royal insiders have confirmed King Charles, 73, is determined to do everything he can to strengthen the relationship between the monarchy and Australia — and a 17th visit to Australia is among the top priorities on his to-do list.

King Charles’ deputy private secretary Chris Fitzgerald is said to be working on the plans.

News of the plans come a matter of days after Prince William, Prince Harry and their wives met with royal fans after Queen Elizabeth II, 96, died at Balmoral Castle.

King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort, pictured here during their 2015 trip to Australia, are planning another tour of the country. Picture: Gregg Porteous

The new King could visit NSW in 2024 to coincide with the bicentenary of the NSW Legislative Council and a major conference of international parliaments.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal Legislative Council president Matthew Mason-Cox met with King Charles III — then Prince Charles — less than a week be for his ascension to the throne.

It is understood that before Charles was proclaimed as King, informal discussions were had with Clarence House as to whether a trip to Sydney in 2024 would be feasible.

There are hopes King Charles could visit NSW for the 200-year anniversary of the Parliament’s Upper House because he attended a previous anniversary 50 years ago.

“He attended the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the LC in 1974 and delivered a message from the queen at a joint sitting of the parliament at that time,” Mr Mason-Cox said.

“We’re very hopeful that King Charles might be able to attend the bicentenary or indeed a royal in his stead in November 2024,” he said.

The visit would coincide with a major conference “international parliamentary conference” which was recently secured for Sydney.

Mr Mason-Cox’s meeting with King Charles occurred at his Birkhall estate in Scotland on September 2 — just six days before he ascended the throne.

“He was very warm, very engaging and certainly a wide-ranging discussion was held including the Bicentenary of the Legislative Council,” Mr Mason-Cox said.

Prince William and Kate had been scheduled to visit bushfire regions in Australia in April 2020. But those plans were dashed by the COVID-19 pandemic, making a royal visit to Australia overdue.

King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort, both had an audience with Australia’s Acting High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Lynette Wood, on Sunday UK time.

Ms Wood spent 15 minutes with the King, who took time out from the planning of his mother’s funeral to speak with countries where he is now head of state.

Australia’s Acting High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Lynette Wood, met with King Charles on Sunday. Picture: AFP

The Queen Consort, 75, sought out Ms Wood for a private chat at Buckingham Palace.

Speaking at Australia House on The Strand just hours after the meetings, Ms Wood said the King had spoken of his “warmth” for Australia.

“As you know, the King has a deep and broad relationship with Australia and His Majesty’s warmth for our country was evident in our brief conversation this afternoon,” Ms Wood said.

“Having visited Australia 16 times including studying in Victoria, His Majesty knows Australia very well.”

Then Prince Charles at Geelong Grammar's Timbertop campus in 1966.

Queensland LNP politician and Australian Monarchist League spokesman, Jarrod Bleijie, said he anticipated the King would tour the state.

“Prior to or just after the coronation the King would usually conduct a tour of the Commonwealth, which includes Queensland,” he said.

“We might be Queensland but the King is welcome anytime, and we know King Charles III is fond of and loves Queensland.

“I would hope that the Premier would issue an invitation to the new King to visit as soon as is practicable.”

Any royal visit takes months of planning, with no announcements of timing expected to be imminent.

However, the visit would be in addition to a trip to Victoria when it hosts the Commonwealth Games in 2026.

King Charles could soon be back on Australian soil. Picture: Getty Images

Ms Wood was allocated a prime position in the royal box for a speech that was to be delivered by King Charles late on Monday night Australian time.

The move was another sign of the desire to deepen the relationship between King Charles and Australia.

Canada and New Zealand have also been given that honour.

Camilla and then Prince Charles, pictured here in 2018, at Broadbeach. Picture: Getty Images

King Charles also met with High Commissioners of the 13 other realms, the official term for nations where he is head of state.

Mr Albanese and Governor-general David Hurley were due to land in London later this week on special purpose aircraft.

The pair were expected to be given an audience with the King.

In 1966, then Prince Charles attended Geelong Grammar’s Timbertop campus.

King Charles has a deep connection with Australia — he spent two terms at Geelong Grammar’s Timbertop campus in 1966.

He joked about his time in Australia that year at an Australian bushfire fundraiser at Mansion House in London in March 2020, saying he was sprayed with disinfectant at the airport on arrival.

In 1966 King Charles, then Prince of Wales, rides in police boat. He was studying at Geelong Grammar’s Timbertop campus at the time.

King Charles made a substantial personal donation to the bushfire recovery appeal that night, which was one of the final functions in London before coronavirus restrictions hit.

“I was most touched … to have an opportunity to express, once again, just how much my family and I care about what I can only imagine must have seemed like an apocalyptic vision of Hell that the Australian people have been through over these past, desperately trying, few months,” he said of the bushfires in 2020.

“I was profoundly shocked by the extent and intensity of the fires which swept Australia this summer.”

Originally published as William, Catherine to visit Australia before King Charles