King Charles and Queen Camilla to Visit Australia in First Royal Tour Since Cancer Diagnosis

King Charles and Queen Camilla will travel to Australia in October for the monarch’s first royal tour since his cancer diagnosis, Buckingham Palace confirmed Sunday.

Charles and Camilla will visit Australia and Samoa, where Their Majesties will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2024 in Samoa. While the visit will be the king’s first to the Commonwealth realm since he ascended the throne, the trip will not include touring New Zealand because of the king’s ongoing medical treatment and recovery. According to a palace spokesman, “The King’s doctors have advised that such an extended programme should be avoided at this time, to prioritise His Majesty’s continued recovery.”

Charles plans to undertake a limited number of engagements while in Australia and will visit the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Samoa, but palace aides have said there could be modifications to his schedule based on the king’s health.

The trip is at the invitation of the Australian government. Charles and Camilla last visited Australia in 2018 for the opening of the Commonwealth Games.

The king is head of CHOGM and has been invited to the meeting which takes place every two years and will bring together delegations from 56 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific. The theme of this year’s meeting is “One Resilient Future: Transforming Our Common Wealth.”

Charles, who resumed public duties in April, is said to be looking forward to undertaking his first overseas tour since announcing his cancer diagnosis earlier this year. According to a palace spokesman, “Their Majesties’ State Visit to Samoa will celebrate the strong bilateral relationship between the Pacific Island nation and the U.K.”