King Charles to ‘scale back Australian trip’
King Charles III and Queen Camilla will reportedly scale back their expected Australian tour in October following the monarch’s battle with cancer.
The King and Queen’s tour was first announced in March and was expected to last two weeks across Australia, New Zealand and Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in the Pacific Island nation.
But according to reports in the UK media, the royal couple will tour Australia and Samoa, but will no longer visit New Zealand.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Royal Ascot earlier this month.Credit: Getty
The Mirror reported the Australian leg of the trip will last about six days and that Buckingham Palace was liaising with the federal government.
A spokesperson for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet said the King was always welcome.
“As the Australian head of state, his majesty the King has a standing invitation to visit Australia and is always a welcome visitor,” the spokesperson said.
“When details of official royal visits are finalised, they are announced formally by the Australian government and Buckingham Palace.”
King Charles is receiving weekly treatment for cancer after being diagnosed in February.
King Charles was diagnosed with cancer in February.Credit: AP
It’s the first time a monarch has visited Australia in more than a decade, following the late Queen Elizabeth II’s trip in 2011. It is the King’s first trip down under since his coronation in 2022, and his 16th trip overall.
The King and Queen last visited Australia in 2018 as the then prince of Wales and duchess of Cornwall for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. The duke and duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, visited that same year as part of a 16-day tour of Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji.
Last month states and territories pitched their itineraries for the couple’s October visit, offering luxury resort stays, cultural performances and wildlife encounters in a bid to host the royal couple.
King Charles made his first overseas trip since his cancer diagnosis earlier this month, travelling to Ver-sur-Mer in France for a D-Day 80th anniversary commemoration at the British Normandy Memorial.
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