Canberra and Sydney are set to roll out a royal welcome ahead of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s first visit to Australia as a reigning monarch.
The King and Queen will visit the cities as part of a six-day visit to Australia between October 18 and 23, the first since it was announced the King was undergoing cancer treatment.
Details of the itinerary reveal the Canberra leg of the trip will see both King and Queen welcomed at Parliament House by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for a reception with political and community leaders.
The prime minister said Australians would look forward to welcoming the King and Queen back to Australia.
“The royal visit is an opportunity to showcase the best of Australia, our rich culture, our sense of community, and contributions to science, research and global progress,” he said.
“His Majesty first visited Australia in 1966 and has a strong personal affection for our nation.
“We are delighted that His Majesty is recovering well and has made visiting Australia once again a priority.”
Australians who are leading in their field in their field in areas such as sport, arts, culture and health will also be on the guest list to the event.
The royals will lay a wreath at the nearby Australian War Memorial and visit the Australian National Botanic Gardens to meet with staff and volunteers and will also take part in a tree planting.
King Charles will also carry out a visit to the CSIRO as part of a focus on the agency’s effort tackling bushfires, while Queen Camilla will meet with representatives at domestic violence charity GIVIT.
In Sydney, the King and Queen will conduct a fleet review of the navy, attend a community barbecue and visit the Opera House.
The visit will also involve the King meeting with Australians of the Year Georgina Long and Richard Scolyer, along with a meeting with Indigenous representatives.
There will be a visit to a library by the Queen to meet with children who are taking part in Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition.
It will be the first trip to Australia by a reigning monarch since 2011, when Queen Elizabeth II travelled to Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra and Perth.
King Charles has travelled to Australia 15 times, but the October trip will be the first since taking the throne.
By Andrew Brown in Canberra
