King Charles excited about visiting Sydney and Canberra

Charles is excited about his trip to Australia on Friday, widely thought to be his farewell tour, and has put cancer treatment on hold.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Buckingham Palace in London.

King Charles is “excited” to be arriving in Australia next Friday evening – and would have liked a much longer tour.

Courtiers say Charles is buoyed by the upcoming travel, pointing out that his work routine has helped him deal with an unspecified cancer which was discovered at the beginning of the year after having surgery for prostate cancer.

Earlier plans for an extensive weeks-long royal tour including all states of Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific were dropped when Charles’ health issues became apparent.

Charles, 75, is continuing to have weekly cancer treatment, but in a special dispensation, doctors have allowed him to pause the medication throughout the 11-day trip, which includes three days in Sydney and Canberra and then the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Samoa.

He will resume his treatment when he returns back to Britain.

The heavily edited program has been tailored around the King’s still fragile health but marks the priorities of his reign: continuing the work of his mother Queen Elizabeth II in regards to the Commonwealth and his personal affection for Australia ever since spending time at Timbertop as a 17-year-old.

Charles has often remarked that that school term in the Victorian Alps had knocked the edges off his Britishness. People close to Charles say he has been talking about the Australian and Samoa visit with great enthusiasm and only last week held a reception in London to mark the occasion, even breaking out some Samoan dance moves.

At his only other international visit this year, to the D-Day 80th commemorations in Normandy, Charles attended the British ceremony but was then fatigued and had to retire, missing the later international service.

A day of rest and personal time has been factored into his Australian visit – his 16th trip Down Under, but his first visit since becoming King two years ago.

Charles and Queen Camilla arrive on Friday evening and will have a rest day on Saturday, after which they will then spend Sunday and Tuesday in Sydney, and Monday in Canberra.

In Canberra they will be welcomed to Parliament House by Anthony Albanese with a reception for political and community leaders, and Australians who have excelled in the fields of health, arts, culture and sport.

Royal watchers will be closely watching the body language between the Prime Minister, a Republican, and Charles.

Mr Albanese has said he is “delighted the King is recovering well and has made visiting Australia once again a priority”.

On Monday October 21 the King and Queen will pay their respects at the Australian War Memorial, and visit the Australian National Botanic Gardens. The public will be able to see them at the Australian War Memorial at 12.35pm and the Parliament House forecourt at 2.10pm.

The following day in Sydney the royal couple will conduct a fleet review of the Royal Australian Navy and attend a community barbecue. The public will be able to see them on the Opera House forecourt at 4.20pm.

One of the eagerly anticipated engagements is for Charles to learn about the groundbreaking cancer research led by Australians of the Year, Professor Georgina Long and Professor Richard Scolyer.

However the length of each of the engagements has been carefully calibrated and could be changed depending on how Charles is feeling.

Ahead of the CHOGM, Charles has been talking to various leaders such as the King of Malaysia, Sultan Ibrahim, who will be attending his first CHOGM, the Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema and the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne.

Charles has been making the calls from his favourite Scottish residence Birkhall – an inheritance from his grandmother, the Queen Mother, where he proposed to Camilla, extending his usual summer time in the peaceful Highlands on a deliberately light work schedule.

Charles will travel to London on Monday to attend a reception at St Paul’s Cathedral to meet international business leaders and showcase the UK as a destination for investment. He will also hold a Privy Council, meet with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and then meet with his doctors before a few short days back in Scotland.

Queen Camilla has been encouraging her workaholic husband to relax as much as possible ahead of the long flight but she hasn’t been there to keep his working hours in check.

Camilla has prepared for the trip to Australia with a short private holiday. Back in 2018 she arrived early ahead of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games to recover from jet lag with a stay at the home of financier Michael Hintze in the Southern Highlands. It is unknown if she has adopted a similar plan this time.

Meanwhile the Princess of Wales made a surprise appearance at an engagement in Southport, England on Thursday to support the community after a July knife attack at a children’s dance class left three dead and nine injured.

Catherine attended the event with husband Prince William, the first time the two were back at work together eight months after she was diagnosed with cancer. Catherine announced a few weeks ago that she had completed her chemotherapy treatment and she would continue her journey to remain cancer-free.