King Charles III.
Turmoil over New Zealand visit
At the end of March 2024, King Charles III visited Germany – here during his speech in the German Bundestag. He is expected Down Under in October.
© Heath Pinkall/Shutterstock.com
On the advice of his doctors, King Charles’s trip down under will be shorter than planned. New Zealand will be cancelled entirely, it is said.
The planned trip to Australia, Samoa and New Zealand could turn out differently for King Charles III (75) and his wife Queen Camilla (76) than initially planned. The British newspaper “The Mirror” reports, citing an insider, that the visit in October will be shortened – and all appointments in New Zealand may even be cancelled. The monarch decided this on the advice of his doctors, who feared that he would overdo it in the midst of his battle against cancer.
“Bitter disappointment for both sides”
Australia and Samoa are still on the travel list, but the royal couple will not be making a detour to New Zealand. “It will be a bitter disappointment for both sides,” the newspaper quoted the insider as saying. In April, there was talk of a two-week trip to Down Under. Now it is said that the stay in Australia will be reduced to around six days. After a one to two-day break, the king and queen will travel on to the island state of Samoa for three days, where a meeting of the Commonwealth heads of government will take place.
As “The Mirror” further reports, Buckingham Palace has not yet announced details of the trip to Australia. Officials are currently working with the federal government Down Under to finalize the royal couple’s itinerary in the coming weeks. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (61) said some time ago that planning was underway. “The King has shown his compassion for Australians affected by recent natural disasters, just as Australians have shown compassion and support for the King following his cancer diagnosis,” he said. “The King, Queen and members of the Royal Family are always welcome in Australia.”
The proposed Queensland royal itinerary is expected to include a visit to Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane, a trip to the Gold Coast and then north to Cairns, where the King would meet people affected by January’s devastating floods. It could then continue to Lizard Island, an hour’s flight north of the city, where the royal couple have been offered the use of a luxury home and cottage owned by Racing Queensland chairman Steven Wilson.
Charles has a long connection to Australia
Since 1867, the British royal family has visited Australia more than 50 times, with only six visits before 1954. Elizabeth II is the first and only reigning Australian monarch to have set foot on Australian soil. Her first visit was in February 1954. She was last in Australia in 2011. Charles has also been there several times, but never as king. He and Camilla last visited Australia as the Crown Prince couple in 2018 to celebrate the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. Charles has a close relationship with Australia, where he attended a private school for a semester in 1966.
He has also been to New Zealand several times: As Prince of Wales, he has made a total of ten visits, three of which were accompanied by Camilla. The couple were last in New Zealand in November 2019 for a six-day tour. A return after five years is now unlikely. “It is very much to be hoped that there will be further opportunities in the future,” said the insider. However, everyone is aware that the king’s health must be taken into account. Charles spent three nights in hospital in January with an enlarged prostate before being diagnosed with cancer the following month. He returned to public duties at the end of April and was recently in good spirits at many major events such as his birthday parade Trooping the Colour and the Royal Ascot horse race.