King Charles and Queen Camilla may just visit two Australian cities during their royal tour Down Under, with the schedule scaled back following the monarch’s cancer diagnosis.
A royal Australian tour by King Charles and Queen Camilla is looking more likely.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Buckingham Palace is putting the final touches to their itinerary which will include visits to Sydney and Canberra.
Health officials say the King won’t partake in all-day events, following his cancer diagnosis.
An official announcement about the trip is expected next week.
It is understood the royal couple have so far penned in trips to Sydney and Canberra, likely some time in October, and the visit to the Southern Hemisphere will include their attendance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government on the island nation of Samoa.
On the schedule is set to be a trip to the world-famous Sydney Opera House and a likely stop off at the newly $22 million renovated New South Wales Parliament House.
King Charles and Queen Camilla are set to visit Sydney and Canberra for their Australian tour later this year, with their trip likely cut short to six days. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
According to The Sunday Telegraph, citing Canberra sources, the King and Queen will also be the stars of a glittery reception in the nation’s capital.
The formal event will see Prime Minister Anthony Albanese introduce the pair. It is not known where the event will be held, but Parliament House is one of the venues floated.
It is unclear at this stage if Charles and Camilla will visit other cities or states, but it appears unlikely given the King has been told to rein in his royal duties.
Buckingham Palace revealed in February the 75-year-old had been diagnosed with a form of cancer while undergoing a separate procedure on an enlarged prostate.
The King has been receiving treatment for some months, taking time away from the public eye before the monarch returned to royal duties in late April.
The Daily Mirror’s Royal Editor Russell Myers has discussed the latest on King Charles and Queen Camilla’s upcoming plans to embark on a tour to Australia in October.
Mr Myers claimed that the spring tour down under was “definitely going ahead”.
“It’s going to incorporate a visit to Samoa for the commonwealth heads of government meeting, but unfortunately, the Kiwis are going to miss out.
“There’s not going to be a New Zealand leg, and this is definitely because of concerns over King Charles doing a bit too much.
“He’s going to sort of have to reign it in as it were on doctors’ orders.”
While Charles vowed to “make up for lost time”, it is believed the Australian tour will be cut back to just six days, with a 48-hour rest prior to flying to Samoa.
The idea of another royal Australian tour was first brought up in 2021.
Former NSW Legislative Council president Matthew Mason-Cox later met with then Prince Charles face-to-face for a possible visit at his Balmoral residence.
It was then decided 2024 would be the likely year for a visit by the royals to celebrate the 200-year anniversary of the Council.
Camilla and Charles on the Gold Coast, Queensland, in 2018. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty
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Charles and Camilla last visited Australia more than six years ago in 2018 to open the Commonwealth Games held on the Gold Coast in Queensland.
The last major royal tour was by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – who visited Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga in October 2018.
An announcement of the King and Queen’s visit could be as soon as next week.