King Charles's Australian tour gets a major boost as aides put final touches on itinerary
EXCLUSIVE: Australian states submit their plans for King and Queen visit to Australia in October.
Express.co.uk exclusively revealed last week that Palace officials are laying the groundwork for the King’s attendance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in October and a tour of Australia.
Australian states have submitted bids to host King Charles and Queen Camilla on their upcoming trip to Australia in October, Express.co.uk can reveal.
According to ABC News in Australia over the weekend, the Australian federal government has been working with palace officials to put the final touches on the royal couple's itinerary.
The report states that state and territory leaders were asked to develop itineraries aligned with two main themes — King Charles's first visit to Australia as sovereign and his interest in climate and sustainability.
Queensland's proposed royal itinerary includes a visit to Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane, a trip to the Gold Coast and then north to Cairns, where the king would meet those impacted by January's devastating flooding event in the wake of Cyclone Jasper.
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Their Majesties would also travel to Lizard Island where they have been offered the use of a luxury home and cottage — owned by Racing Queensland chairman Steven Wilson.
Western Australia's itinerary includes a visit to the WA Museum Boola Bardip, five renovated heritage buildings in the heart of Perth, and a walk along the Matagarup Bridge — a soaring pedestrian bridge.
The royal couple would also visit Rottnest Island, one of the state's most popular tourist destinations, for a Quokka spotting session.
Express.co.uk exclusively revealed last week that King Charles will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa on October 21 and visit Australia afterwards.
Sources said that aides are currently reviewing a foreign visit schedule to Samoa and Australia and have initiated preliminary plans which include site visits in preparation for a scaled-down Commonwealth tour by their Majesties.
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King Charles, 75, was expected to attend the 27th CHOGM on October 21–25 before his cancer diagnosis was announced. However, Buckingham Palace has been reluctant to confirm the King’s attendance due to His Majesty’s poor health. With the recent improvement in his condition, he has now been given the go-ahead to attend.
“The King has instructed staff to push full steam ahead with plans for the visit,” the source told Express.co.uk last week. “He sees it as an important part of the Commonwealth and holding the union together. His health is improving, and he feels confident that he will be able to make an appearance at the [CHOGM] event.”
The 27th CHOGM will be the first under the King’s reign. CHOGM consists of 56 member countries from across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific and will be the first time the high-level meeting will be hosted by a small island state in Samoa.
“The Monarch’s attendance at the CHOGM is being viewed as instrumental in preserving Commonwealth unity,” the source said. “Charles feels it important to show his support for the Commonwealth and demonstrate what the union can do for them. He [the King] wants to emphasise the positive aspects of being part of the union and dispel the myth that the Commonwealth is just a colony.”
The source added that Palace aides had scheduled a site visit to strategise a plan for the visit. The source tells Express.co.uk that this visit is deemed crucial for maintaining Australia's allegiance to the Commonwealth, particularly as calls for a republic gain momentum in Australia.
“Australia is key especially due to the growing support for a republic there,” the source said. “There’s also a growing anti-monarchist movement developing in Canada which can be extremely damaging to the Commonwealth.”
In a Commonwealth Day message earlier this year, the King described "diversity" as the Commonwealth's core "strength" and said the 56 countries comprising it were a "precious source of strength, inspiration, and pride" to him.
“The King remains optimistic about the trip and is determined to keep the Commonwealth together,” the source said. “The tour will be very much scaled-down and aides are also looking at holding events at times that fit more within the UK’s time zone so that the King can remain strong and healthy during the visit.”
