King Charles and Queen Camilla have today arrived in Australia for a six-day tour and said they were “looking forward to returning to this beautiful country to celebrate the extraordinarily rich cultures and communities that make it so special”
King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive in Australia
King Charles and Queen Camilla have touched down in a rain-drenched Sydney to start their historic tour of the South Pacific.
The six-day trip is Charles’ first to a British realm – countries where he is head of state – since he became monarch following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. As they jetted into Australia the King and Queen praised their host’s “extraordinarily rich cultures and communities” before the start of their landmark tour of the country.
In a message posted on the royal family social media channels, Charles and Camilla said: “Ahead of our first visit to Australia as King and Queen, we are really looking forward to returning to this beautiful country to celebrate the extraordinarily rich cultures and communities that make it so special. See you there!”
The message was accompanied with archive footage of previous royal tours, including the late Queen’s first visit in 1954. The royals landed at Sydney Kingsford Smith airport on board a Royal Australian Air Force plane at 8.20pm to be greeted by a number of dignitaries including Australia’s governor-general Sam Mostyn, the King’s representative, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his partner Jodie Haydon.
The King and Queen will later sit down with Mr Albanese and Ms Haydon for private talks, and use Saturday as designated a rest day before the tour begins in earnest on Sunday. The King and Queen will later travel to Samoa for a three-day state visit and meet world leaders taking part in a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) which Charles will formally open.
Royal aides said the King was “excited” and “raring to go” for his trip Down Under, after a year largely affected by illness. To mark royal arrival, which will take in visits across Sydney and the capital Canberra on Monday, the iconic Sydney Opera House sails were due to be lit up with a four minute looping montage of images from previous royal tours undertaken by the King and Queen.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said: “We are lighting up the Sydney Opera House to warmly welcome The King and Queen to our beautiful harbour city. The photo projection on the Opera House sails celebrates a historic moment – The King’s first visit to NSW as Sovereign – and is a fitting tribute.
““NSW is looking forward to hosting this milestone visit and I encourage everyone to make the most of it.” The trip to Australia marks a huge milestone for the King who has battled health ailments throughout the year, including a three night stay in hospital following a procedure on an enlarged prostate in January.
Just days later he was diagnosed with a form of cancer and has undergone weekly treatment for the disease ever since. The monarch completely scaled back his royal role to concentrate on his recovery but returned to duties in April.
Royal doctors signed off on him being able to pause his ongoing treatment for two weeks to enable him to undertake the tour. One palace insider said: “The King is feeling energised and is raring to go.
“Both His Majesty and the Queen are excited for the tour where they hope to meet many local people throughout.” During the visit Charles will use his cancer diagnosis to highlight one of Australia’s biggest killers when he will meet colleagues Professor Georgina Long and Professor Richard Scolyer, named as Australians of the year 2024 in recognition of their pivotal work on melanoma, one of the country’s most common cancers.
Other highlights of the Australian visit will see the royal couple spending time in the capital Canberra meeting leading figures and paying their respects to the country’s fallen, while in western Sydney they will attend a community barbecue – a staple of Australian culture.
Dr George Gross, royal historian and visiting research fellow at King’s College London, said: “This is a tour of significant firsts. Although King Charles III has travelled to Australia many times, this will be his first visit there as sovereign and the first tour to the country by a reigning monarch since 2011.
“It will also be the King’s first official overseas tour since his cancer diagnosis, his first to a Commonwealth realm and, while visiting Samoa, he will lead the first Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting of his reign.
“It is notable too that he is visiting Australia in the year after his coronation, as this echoes the 1954 tour by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II following her coronation in 1953.”
Small symbolic protests are planned by the anti-monarchy group Republic, with its chief executive officer Graham Smith travelling to Australia to lead the events in Canberra and Sydney.
The Australian Republican Movement has branded the visit “The Farewell Oz Tour” while Australia’s six state premiers were heavily criticised in the country for saying they will all miss a reception for the King and Queen in Canberra on Monday.
