The King will fly to Australia and Samoa for the first long-haul overseas tour since his cancer diagnosis and join world leaders at a major Commonwealth summit.
Charles and Camilla will pass a number of milestone in their roles as monarch and consort during their southern hemisphere visit over nine days in October.
The health of the monarch will be a factor during the visit as the King has been receiving treatment as an out-patient for an undisclosed form of cancer since February.
The programme is likely to be designed to afford him time to rest and recover from the many hours he will spend flying during his trip.
The King is head of the Commonwealth, affectionately known as the “family of nations”, and for the first time will preside over the gathering of presidents and prime ministers as head of state, during the event hosted by Samoa.
Charles deputised for Queen Elizabeth II during the last Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) staged by Rwanda in 2022, but will now welcome the representatives as head of state.
His trip to Samoa has the status of a state visit and the Australian tour is also significant as Charles is the nation’s head of state.
The country’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has a long-held aim of holding a referendum on breaking ties with the British monarchy and Australia becoming a republic.
But the plans were put on hold after Australians overwhelmingly rejected a plan to give greater political rights to Indigenous people in a referendum held last year.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “The King’s visit to Australia will be His Majesty’s first to a realm as monarch, whilst the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa is the first the King will attend as head of the Commonwealth.
“In both countries, their Majesties’ engagements will focus on themes designed to celebrate the best of Australia and Samoa, as well as reflecting aspects of the King and Queen’s work.”
