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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, accompanied by Prince George, will visit Australia and New Zealand in April.
Royal Central has put together their full diary:
7th April
The royal party (the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince
George and staff) will arrive at Wellington Airport, New Zealand.
They will go straight to Government House, home to the
Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae and his wife
Lady Mateparae, for a ceremonial welcome.
8th April
This day will be spent privately by the family, away from the
capital.
9th April
On their first official engagement in New Zealand, the Duke and
Duchess, possibly accompanied by Prince George, will attend a
gathering of new mums and babies to recognise the work of the Royal
New Zealand Plunket Society.
10th April
William and Catherine will attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the
memorial in the town of Blenheim as part of commemorations for the
outbreak of WW1.
From there, the Duke and Duchess will travel the short distance to
the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre. Here, the party will tour the
‘Knights of The Sky’ exhibition, Sir Peter Jackson’s outstanding
display of World War One aircraft.
They will then travel back to Wellington to meet with the Leader of
The Opposition and with the Prime Minister, and will later attend a
State Reception given by the Governor General at Government House,
where the Duke will deliver a short speech and also unveil a
portrait of Her Majesty The Queen.
11th April
The Duke and Duchess fly to Auckland. Firstly, the party will spend
some time at the RNZAF base at Whenuapai, home to more than a
thousand serving airmen and women.
Next, they travel into the city centre where they will
visit the Emirates Team New Zealand base and board a boat that
will take them to two of the team’s yachts – the Duke on one, the
Duchess on the other. There will be a number of “informal” match
races between the two racing yachts.
The royal couple will them travel, by Sealegs craft, to
Westpark Marina, from where Their Royal Highnesses return to the
Air Force base and to Wellington.
12th April
The Duke and Duchess will travel to the Waikato region of the North
Island. The first engagement of the day is split: The Duke will
visit a company called Pacific Aerospace at Hamilton Airport and
The Duchess will visit a children’s hospice called Rainbow Place in
the town of Hamilton.
They will then meet up at the war memorial in Cambridge to pay
their respects, before travelling through the town centre.
From here, they travel to New Zealand’s brand new national
velodrome, on the outskirts of Cambridge, called the Avantidrome,
which Their Royal Highnesses will formally open.
13th April
William and Catherine will depart for a two-day trip away from
Wellington (without Prince George) to Dunedin, Queenstown and
finally Christchurch, all on the South Island.
After attending a Palm Sunday service at the Cathedral Church of St
Paul, Their Royal Highnesses travel to the city’s famed rugby
stadium to watch a festival of Rippa Rugby.
From here, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge fly to Queenstown for
two events in the late afternoon: wine tasting and a trip to
the Shotover River to experience the Shotover Jet. The couple
will then stay at a hotel in the Queenstown area.
14th April
The royal party will visit Christchurch where they will
receive a formal welcome ceremony from Ngai Tahu in the city
centre, before having a chance to see some of the work going on in
the central business district. The couple will also mark the coming
of the Cricket World Cup to Christchurch in 2015.
The Duke and Duchess will then travel to the Wigram Air Force
Museum on the outskirts of Christchurch, where the couple will view
the plans for the current and future rebuilding of the
city. On departure from the museum, Their Royal Highnesses
will view the Memorial Wall, dedicated to those in the Royal New
Zealand Air Force who have died in the service of their
country.
15th April
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will spend this day
privately,
16th April
This will be the Duke and Duchess’s last day in New Zealand before
moving off to Australia. They will visit the Royal New Zealand
Police College just outside Wellington.
The couple will then make a final drive back to Wellington, where
they will stop in the city centre to sign the City of Wellington’s
Visitors Book (this may also include a meet & greet walkabout)
before they leave for Australia.
On their arrival in Australia, the Duke and Duchess will head
straight to the Sydney Opera House for a Reception given by the
Governor and Premier of New South Wales. The Duke will give a short
speech here to mark the start of Their Royal Highnesses’ visit to
Australia.
17th April
William and Catherine first plan to visit the Blue Mountains, to
the west of Sydney, where they’ll meet some of the families
affected by the bushfires which swept through the area in October
last year.
The royal couple hope to have a chance to ‘see for themselves some
of the natural beauty for which the Blue Mountains are famed’,
Kensington Palace say.
18th April
Good Friday will be spent in Sydney with the Duke and Duchess first
visiting the Royal Easter Show, which takes place at the Sydney
Olympic Park.
They will then visit Bear Cottage, which is a children’s hospice
doing some simply amazing work with youngsters with life-limiting
conditions and helping to support their families.
19th April
The Duke and Duchess will then be heading to Queensland. First,
Their Royal Highnesses will visit the Royal Australian Air Force
base at Amberley.
From Amberley, The Duke and Duchess travel into Brisbane city
centre to attend a Reception hosted by the Governor and the Premier
of Queensland, which will be focused on Queensland’s young people
drawn from a variety of walks of life and interests.
20th April
This is Easter Sunday; the royal party will begin the day at
the morning service at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney city centre.
Here, the couple will sign the ‘First Fleet Bible’ – the Bible used
in the first Christian service held in Australia in 1788.
Following Church, the Duke and Duchess will visit Taronga Zoo,
where the Duke and Duchess will first view the Bilby Enclosure.
Taronga Zoo will be naming their Bilby Enclosure after Prince
George.
21st April
Easter Monday will be spent privately by the Cambridges.
22nd April
In the morning the royal party will visit Uluru, which is the
traditional Aboriginal name for Ayer’s Rock – without Prince
George. The couple will attend a “Welcome to Country” ceremony
from members of the local indigenous communities.
The royal couple will view an indigenous art display and later
attend afternoon tea, given by the Chief Minister of the Northern
Territory. After tea, the Duke and Duchess will visit Uluru itself,
taking a short walk along its base in the company of a local guide.
The couple will then spend the night in the area.
23rd April
The Cambridges will fly to Adelaide in South Australia to
visit the suburb of Elizabeth (named after The Queen in
1955). The first stop for the couple will be the Northern
Sound System, which is a music studio and workshop for young
people. The Duke and Duchess will then watch a skate-boarding
display in the skate park just outside the studios.
This will be followed by a short drive, plus a short walk, to
Playford Civic Centre, for a lively reception hosted by the
Governor and Premier of South Australia. From here the couple will
return to Canberra, returning there late afternoon.
24th April
The penultimate day of their visit will be spent in
Canberra; it begins at the National Portrait Gallery, where
the couple will view an exhibition of artworks and have the
privilege to meet some of the subjects of the portraits.
From the Gallery, The Duke and Duchess move to Parliament House,
where Prime Minister Abbott will kindly host a Reception in the
Great Hall, and the Duke will deliver a speech.
Following this reception, in the afternoon, the Royal couple head
to the National Arboretum, perched high on the hills overlooking
the city in a quite spectacular location. The Duke and Duchess will
plant a tree, before meeting groups of local children and their
parents.
The final engagement of the day takes place at Government House,
where a Reception will be kindly hosted by the Governor-General in
honour of The Duke and Duchess.
25th April
This is the last day of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s tour of
Australia. It is ANZAC day in Australia and the Duke and
Duchess will attend the ANZAC Day March and Commemorative Service
at the Australian War Memorial. The Service in Canberra will
remember the 99th year of the Anzac landings, and will be followed
for the Duke and Duchess by a tree planting in the Memorial Garden
– planting a seed from a lone pine which was taken from the site of
the Gallipoli battle.
The Cambridges will then prepare to return to the UK. After
farewells to their hosts, the Royal Party depart Defence
Establishment Fairbairn, Canberra, for London.]]>
