King Charles III and Queen Camilla are embarking on a visit to Australia and Samoa in the month of October. The King, despite receiving cancer treatment, is taking on more public duties and making a lengthy journey with his wife. The Royal couple will be undertaking engagements in the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales before heading to Samoa for a Commonwealth summit. This will be the first visit of King Charles III to Australia as monarch and also his first international official tour since being diagnosed with an unknown form of cancer earlier this year.
Buckingham Palace confirmed that the King and Queen would not be visiting New Zealand due to doctors advising against an extended visit on health grounds. The Palace stated that “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 couple is expected to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa, which brings together delegations from all the 56 countries in the Commonwealth.
Although there is no information currently about the visit’s details, itinerary, and programme, it is expected to be announced soon. The couple’s schedule and program changes will be subject to doctor’s advice. King Charles III last visited Australia in 2018 with the Queen for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Notably, despite the referendum in 1999, where Australians narrowly voted against cutting ties with the monarchy, calls have been persisting in the quarter-century since for another ballot. In January, it became known that it is Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s longstanding policy to hold a vote on becoming a republic, but the government indicated in the same month that it has put the referendum on hold, stating it as being not a priority.
Buckingham Palace confirmed in February that the King would pause some public events while receiving treatment for cancer. At the time, they said it was not prostate cancer and that it was discovered during treatment for an enlarged prostate. The King later returned to public-facing engagements in April, where he spoke to patients at the University College London Hospital about the “shock” of hearing about his cancer diagnosis.
Recently, the King has visited Normandy, hosted actor Idris Elba for a summit on tackling youth crime, and hosted the Japanese emperor and empress during their state visit to the UK. Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Princess of Wales presented the Wimbledon men’s singles trophy to Carlos Alcaraz, in her second public appearance after being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. Catherine made her return to public duties with an appearance at Trooping the Colour last month, waving and smiling from the Buckingham Palace balcony with her children and acknowledging her ongoing cancer treatment
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