Charles and Camilla praise ‘beautiful’ Australia before historic tour
The King and Queen Camilla will arrive in Australia on Friday, kicking off their six-day visit to Australia and historic tour of the South Pacific.
The trip to Canberra and Sydney will mark Charles' first time visiting a country where he is head of state since he became monarch following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The King and Queen will later travel to Samoa for a three-day state visit, and meet world leaders taking part in a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting which Charles will formally open.
In a post on X, a statement on behalf of Charles and Camilla expressed their excitement prior to visiting Australia.
It said: "Ahead of our first visit to Australia as King and Queen, we are really looking forward to returning to this beautiful country to celebrate the extraordinarily rich cultures and communities that make it so special. See you there!"
Dr George Gross, royal historian and visiting research fellow at King’s College London, said it marked a number of "significant firsts".
"This will be his first visit there as sovereign and the first tour to the country by a reigning monarch since 2011," he said.
“It will also be the King’s first official overseas tour since his cancer diagnosis, his first to a Commonwealth realm and, while visiting Samoa, he will lead the first Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting of his reign.
“It is notable too that he is visiting Australia in the year after his coronation, as this echoes the 1954 tour by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II following her coronation in 1953.”
Small protests are planned by the anti-monarchy group Republic, with its chief executive officer Graham Smith travelling to Australia to lead the events in Canberra and Sydney.
The Australian Republican Movement has branded the visit “The Farewell Oz Tour” and reports claim Australia’s six state premiers will miss a reception for the King and Queen in Canberra on Monday.
The overseas tour has been curtailed on advice from doctors, with a visit to New Zealand dropped from the itinerary and other changes made to the programme.
Charles and Camilla will be greeted when their plane lands at Sydney by a number of dignitaries including Australia’s governor-general Sam Mostyn, the King’s representative, and prime minister Anthony Albanese and his partner Jodie Haydon.
The King and Queen will later sit down with Mr Albanese and Ms Haydon for private talks, and with Saturday designated a rest day the tour will begin in earnest on Sunday.
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