King Charles to visit Australia, Samoa on first overseas trip since cancer diagnosis

The visit to Australia will be a critical moment for Britain’s king as he tries to shore up support for the monarchy at home and abroad

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Britain’s King Charles will visit Australia and Samoa in October. Photo: Reuters

Published: 6:53am, 15 Jul 2024Updated: 12:23pm, 15 Jul 2024

Britain’s King Charles is preparing to visit Australia and Samoa in October, an itinerary that will span 12 time zones and test the monarch’s stamina as he recovers from cancer treatment.

The trip, announced on Sunday by Buckingham Palace, marks a watershed moment for the 75-year-old king, who has been slowly returning to public duties after taking a break following his cancer diagnosis in early February. The decision to undertake such a long journey will be seen as a sign of Charles’ recovery, even though the programme in Australia will be “limited”.

The visit to Australia will be a critical moment for the king as he tries to shore up support for the monarchy at home and abroad.

Britain’s King Charles, right, and Queen Camilla, left, in Cardiff, Wales on July 11. Photo: AFP

The trip will mark the first time since he ascended the throne that Charles will visit one of the 14 countries outside the United Kingdom where the British monarch remains head of state, a link that is a source of pride for some but an unwelcome reminder of Britain’s colonial dominance for others.

While he will undoubtedly be welcomed by fans waving the flag and singing God Save the King, Charles is also likely to hear antimonarchy voices in a country where 45 per cent of voters in a 1999 referendum supported creating an Australian republic.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labour Party supports ditching the monarchy, but the government says it is not a priority and there is “no timeline” for another referendum.

“It’s clear that there’s a real re-evaluation going on there as to whether the Commonwealth, and certainly the realms, want to retain their connection to the British monarchy or not,” Ed Owens, a historian and author of After Elizabeth: Can the Monarchy Save Itself? said in an interview before the trip was announced. “So, you know, there are troubled waters ahead.”

The palace provided few details of the tour. Charles and Queen Camilla will visit the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales as well as making a more formal state visit to Samoa, where the king will appear at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, the palace said.