King Charles and Queen Camilla confirm visit to Australia in October

King Charles III and Queen Camilla will visit Australia and Samoa in October, Buckingham Palace has announced.

Charles is undergoing cancer treatment and doctors have advised him against extending the trip any further, meaning neighbouring New Zealand will miss a royal visit.

The Australian leg of the tour, at the invitation of the federal government, includes appearances by the royal couple in the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales.

In March, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said plans were being made for the logistics of a possible visit.

“The King has expressed his sympathy to Australians affected by recent natural disasters, just as Australians have expressed sympathy and support to the King following his cancer diagnosis,” he said.

‘The King, Queen and members of the Royal Family are always welcome in Australia.’

In Samoa, they will celebrate “the strong bilateral relationship” between the Pacific Islander group and the United Kingdom. The couple are expected to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2024.

The meeting brings together delegations from 56 countries from Africa, the Caribbean, the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific.

The visit would be the first time a reigning monarch has visited Australia since 2011.

The last visit was when Queen Elizabeth II visited Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth.

King Charles has visited Australia 15 times, most recently in 2018 when he opened the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast and visited parts of Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Buckingham Palace says the couple’s programme is subject to medical advice and that adjustments may be made based on health reasons.

Further details about the visit to both countries will be announced shortly.

Charles, 75, returned to public duties earlier this year while still undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.