King Charles and Queen Camilla to visit Australia, but not New Zealand, in scaled back royal tour
King Charles will fit royal engagements celebrating 200 years of the NSW parliament and a swish function in Canberra around ongoing cancer treatment in brief tour before CHOGM.
King Charles and Queen Camilla will visit Sydney and Canberra in a dramatically shortened royal tour ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Samoa in October.
Buckingham Palace has this morning confirmed the royal tour will go ahead, which has been the subject of much discussion for months, and has released of a new portrait of the King with Australian insignia.
Charles, 75, has desperately wanted to revisit Australia, a country he loves very much, as a priority upon his coronation as King, but his cancer diagnosis in January this year, and ongoing treatment, has meant the trip will be much shorter than originally anticipated.
Their majesties will have just three stops: Sydney, Canberra and Samoa in what is expected to be six days in Australia which may include a black tie function in Parliament House’s Great Hall, and a visit to the NSW parliament which has just undergone an extensive refurbishment and is celebrating its bicentenary.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement: “Their Majesties The King and Queen will undertake an Autumn Tour in October 2024. This will include Royal Visits to Australia and Samoa, where Their Majesties will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2024.
“The King and Queen will visit Australia at the invitation of the Australian Government, where their program will feature engagements in the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales.
“Their Majesties’ State Visit to Samoa will celebrate the strong bilateral relationship between the Pacific Island nation and the UK.”
A palace spokesperson said that in order to prioritise the King’s continued recovery his doctors have advised that any extended program, which may have included New Zealand, should be avoided.
“In close consultation with the Australian and New Zealand Prime Ministers, and with due regard for the pressures of time and logistics, it has therefore been agreed to limit the visit to Samoa and Australia only,’’ the palace said.
“Their Majesties send their warmest thanks and good wishes to all parties for their continued support and understanding.”
The palace also warned that in line with all His Majesty’s recent engagements, his program in both countries will be subject to doctors’ advice, and any necessary modifications on health grounds. The King has been conducting scaled back public duties since late April, working in and around his cancer treatment. At the recent D-Day 80th commemorations in Normandy the King attended a British service at Ver-sur-mer but then had to withdraw from an international event later the same day because of fatigue.
The CHOGM meeting will have representatives from 56 countries from across Africa, the Caribbean and Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific with a theme of ‘One Resilient Future: Transforming Our Common Wealth’.
Charles and Camilla had last visited Australia in 2018 when Charles, as Prince of Wales, opened the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast on behalf of Queen Elizabeth. His visit will be the first by a ruling monarch to Australia since his mother’s tour in October 2011.
Just weeks after receiving the cancer news, Charles was still insisting on visiting Australia as part of the CHOGM meeting because of his fondness for Australians. He has spoken previously of his love for the country and how spending two terms at Timbertop in Victoria, in 1966 had been he best part of his education.
“Part of my own education took place here in Australia,” Charles said during one of his previous trips to Australia.
“Quite frankly, it was by far the best part. While I was here I had the Pommy bits bashed off me. Like chips off an old block.”
Prime minister Anthony Albanese said back in March that The King, Queen and members of the Royal Family are always welcome in Australia.
“The King has shown his compassion for Australians affected by recent natural disasters, just as Australians have shown compassion and support for the King following his cancer diagnosis,” Mr Albanese said.
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