King Charles and Queen Camilla will undertake a royal tour of Australia and Samoa this fall ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
Buckingham Palace announced on Sunday evening that the King and Queen will travel to Oceania in October for a royal tour of Australia and Samoa. At the direction of King Charles’s medical team, they will not visit New Zealand.
According to a palace spokesperson, an extended programme has been avoided due to King Charles’s ongoing recovery from cancer treatment. The Prime Ministers of Australia and New Zealand were consulted before reaching this decision, and it was made with timing and logistics in mind.
King Charles and Queen Camilla are said to have sent their “warmest wishes and good thanks” to those in Australia and New Zealand for their support and understanding.
In Australia, King Charles and Queen Camilla will focus on engagements in the Australian Capital Territory (of Canberra) and New South Wales. The royals will not undertake an extended programme in Australia, following medical advice.
This year’s CHOGM runs from 21-25 October under the theme of ‘One Resilient Future: Transforming Our Common Wealth.’ Delegations from the 56 Commonwealth nations will attend the week of meetings.
During their visit to Samoa, in addition to attending CHOGM events, King Charles and Queen Camilla will also focus on the bilateral unions between the United Kingdom and Samoa.
This will be the first CHOGM that King Charles presides over. The last occurred in June 2022, where he was officially elected to become Head of the Commonwealth upon the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, which occurred three months later.
King Charles and Queen Camilla last visited Australia in 2018; this will be their first ever visit to Samoa.
Buckingham Palace will share further details on the King and Queen’s programme later this year.
