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Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla walk down in the autumn.
The royal couple will travel to Australia in October as part of their autumn tour, before heading to Samoa for this year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference, Buckingham Palace announced on Sunday.
The 75-year-old British monarch will visit Australia on his first visit to the Commonwealth of Nations since ascending to the throne. Apart from the United Kingdom, Charles is also the head of state of 14 countries, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada, although his role is largely ceremonial.
Charles and Camilla are “visiting the country at the invitation of the Australian Government, where their program will include engagements in the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales,” the palace said.
He last visited Australia with his wife six years ago, when they traveled to the Gold Coast for the start of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings – or CHOGMs as they are known – are held every two years, with member states taking turns. The theme of this year’s event in Samoa, Charles’ first as head of the organization, is “A Resilient Future: Transforming Our Common Wealth” and will see representatives from 56 member states gather.
“Their Majesties’ state visit to Samoa will celebrate the strong bilateral relationship between the Pacific island nation and the UK,” the palace added.
Charles has had a busy calendar over the summer, resuming public duties in April as he continues his cancer treatment. Last month, he attended the D-Day commemorations in France.
Most recently, after Labor won a landslide election victory, he appointed Keir Starmer as prime minister, traveled to Scotland for the annual “Holyrood Week” celebrating Scottish culture and visited the Welsh Parliament in Cardiff on Thursday to mark 25 years since the start of Welsh. Devolution. On Monday, the royal couple leave for a two-day visit to the Channel Islands.
More details about King and Queen’s fall tours are expected to emerge in the coming months. However, a palace spokesman said that, as with all of Charles’ recent engagements, “his plans in both countries are subject to the advice of doctors and are subject to necessary changes on health grounds.”
Some may wonder why the royal couple didn’t visit New Zealand while they were there. A palace spokesman said the decision had been made in consultation with the king’s medical team to “avoid such an extended program at this time” to prioritize his continued recovery.
“In close consultation with the Prime Ministers of Australia and New Zealand, given time and logistical pressures, it has been agreed to limit the visit to Samoa and Australia only,” the spokesman said.
“Their Majesties send their warmest thanks and best wishes to all parties for their continued support and understanding,” they added.
The fact that the monarch has not visited any of the Commonwealth countries since taking office has raised eyebrows. There was great surprise when his first foreign tours as monarch were announced to be France and Germany. They continued their journey to Kenya, which is a member of the Commonwealth, but not an empire.
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Charles’ visit to Australia will be a major test of his popularity as head of state. The nation — colonized by the British in 1788 — has long debated whether a long-distance monarch is still needed. In a 1999 referendum on the issue voters favored a constitutional monarchy by 55% to 45%.
In other Commonwealth countries, the death of Queen Elizabeth II renewed rumblings – some louder than others – of moves to sever ties with the crown and become a republic. But in Australia, despite Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s pro-republican views, there is no immediate push in that direction.
If he takes power for a second term in 2025, Albanese has proposed holding a referendum on whether the country should become a republic. However, those plans appear to have been shelved to focus on more pressing challenges at home, such as the cost-of-living crisis.
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