royal visits australia

British royals to make 'much-anticipated' first visit to Australia with King Charles III as monarch

By Helena Burke

Topic: Royalty

It's not yet known which members of the royal family will come to Australia. ( AP: Kirsty Wigglesworth )

Members of the British royal family will visit Australia in 2024, New South Wales parliament has confirmed.

Key points:

• The royal visit is part of a program of events in 2024 but the actual date has not yet been publicly confirmed
• The NSW Legislative Council is the oldest judicial body in Australia
• Queen Elizabeth II last visited Australia in 2011

State governor Margaret Beazley today announced the program of events celebrating the 200 th anniversary of the NSW Legislative Council. 

Included in the events is a "much-anticipated" royal visit in 2024. 

It appears to be the first official confirmation of rumours of an imminent Australian tour for the new monarch, King Charles III. 

However, details of which members of the royal family will be included in the visit are yet to be released.  

Queen Elizabeth II opened the NSW parliament's sitting session in 1954. ( AP: Scott Heppell, file )

Queen Elizabeth II’s last visit to Australia was in October 2011. 

In 1954, the late queen opened the NSW parliament, marking the beginning of the sitting session for that year.  

She called the state institution Australia’s "mother parliament". 

The NSW Legislative Council is the oldest body of its kind in Australia. 

In the schedule for the bicentenary event, the "anticipated royal tour” is listed for October 2024. 

This coincides with a Commemorative Opening of the NSW Parliament in the same month.  

Ms Beazley said the 200 th anniversary of the NSW legislative council would celebrate centuries of democracy in Australia. 

“The establishment, in 1823, of the Legislative Council as the first legislative body in Australia was to have defining and profound impacts," she said.  

"In celebrating the Bicentenary of the Legislative Council, we celebrate its role in our parliamentary democracy, as required by s5 of the NSW Constitution: ‘to make laws for the peace, welfare, and good government of New South Wales'.” 

Governor Beazley said the celebrations would mark the important role of the legislative council in NSW. ( ABC News: Nour Haydar )

Other events in the bicentenary celebration schedule include Indigenous seminars and public speaking events, historical exhibitions and tours of parliament. 

The first event will kick off this month with Unlocking the House,  an exhibition on Macquarie Street displaying the history of NSW’s upper house.  

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King Charles and Queen Camilla to visit Australia this year

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King charles and queen camilla’s itinerary for australia visit confirmed.

Camilla's three words to King Charles

King Charles III and Queen Camilla will spend their five-day royal visit to Australia in Sydney and Canberra.

Details of their October trip were released on Wednesday morning after the visit was announced in July .

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Camilla’s three words to King Charles at Trooping the Colour

Charles, 75, has visited Australia 16 times, the most recent of which came in 2018, however, this trip will be his first as Monarch.

Buckingham Palace said the pair’s engagements would “focus on themes designed to celebrate the best of Australia ... as well as reflecting aspects of The King and Queen’s work”.

Charles and Camilla will land in Australia on the evening of Friday, October 18.

Their itinerary for the Saturday is unclear.

On the Sunday and Tuesday, they will be in Sydney, while on Monday, they’ll be in Canberra.

While in Canberra, the King and Queen will meet with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Parliament House before attending a reception for political and community leaders, and Australians who have excelled in the fields of health, arts, culture and sport.

They’ll visit the Australian War Memorial and the Australian National Botanic Gardens. At the Botanic Gardens, they will meet with staff and volunteers to discuss the global impacts of climate change.

The King will visit CSIRO, meeting with firefighters and scientists who will share their work on dealing with the impact of bushfires in Australia, while The Queen will participate in a discussion on family and domestic violence, and meet representatives from GIVIT.

When in Sydney, the King and Queen will conduct a Fleet Review of the Royal Australian Navy in Sydney Harbour and attend a community barbecue in western Sydney to sample “a range of produce from across New South Wales” and meet local residents.

The King, who has been receiving treatment for cancer, will also meet with Australians of the Year, Professor Georgina Long AO and Professor Richard Scolyer AO to discuss cancer research.

He will also meet Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives and groups to learn about their work in supporting the local community and strengthening culture.

The Queen will then visit a library and meet children participating in a Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition workshop.

“I welcome Buckingham Palace’s statement announcing the visit,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

“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.

“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 look forward to welcoming The King and Queen back to Australia in October, and highlighting the best of the Australian spirit.”

Charles, 75, returned to public-facing engagements in early May after being diagnosed with cancer in February.

They will visit at the invitation of the Australian Government and will also head to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2024.

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Royal visits to Australia can be disaster magnets. In the first one, the prince barely made it out alive

PhD candidate in Irish-Australian Colonial History, University of Tasmania

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Ciara Smart does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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It’s official: the royals are returning down under. King Charles and Queen Camilla are scheduled to visit Australia and Samoa in October, attending events in Canberra and New South Wales (with more details to come).

Royal visits are designed to communicate a curated vision of imperial loyalty, but have always been a flashpoint for tension. In fact, the first royal visit to Australia was a disaster. It cost the lives of several people and exposed deep social divisions. The prince himself narrowly escaped assassination.

An Irish-Catholic history

In October 1867, Prince Alfred, the second son of Queen Victoria (and great-great-great uncle of King Charles) arrived in Australia for a grand six-month tour.

The highly anticipated visit coincided with the end of convict transportation. It was an opportunity for the colonies to project an international image as loyal and productive citizens of the empire, rather than distant penal outposts. Instead, it exposed deep tensions between Catholics and Protestants.

Today, we sometimes forget the cultural diversity of the non-Indigenous people of colonial Australia. In 19th century Australia, for instance, about 25% of these people were Irish – and most of these Irish were Catholic.

This was a problem for the authorities, who were trying to model Australia on British Protestant traditions. The original population of Ireland had already suffered centuries of violent marginalisation and had mounted several failed uprisings.

Even in Australia, the loyalties of the Catholic Irish were sometimes suspect and anti-Irish discrimination was common. Some job advertisements listed “no Irish” and negative racial stereotyping promoted the view that the Irish were stupid, superstitious and violent .

A ‘tremendous’ failure

The prince landed in South Australia in October 1867 before travelling to Victoria.

During the welcome ceremony in Melbourne, a Protestant hall displayed a provocative image of William of Orange which deeply offended the Irish Catholic community (the victory of the Protestant King William III against the deposed Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 ended any hopes of Catholic rule in Ireland).

A riot broke out and shots were fired into the Catholic crowd, injuring several people , including at least two children . William Cross , a 13-year-old boy, died of his injuries .

Things didn’t improve after that.

Three days later a free public picnic was expected to attract some 10,000 people. But 40,000 arrived – another riot erupting amid the rush for food and wine. At the last minute, the prince avoided the event for his own safety. Newspapers described the picnic as “one of the most tremendous and utter failures we have ever known.”

The chaos continued as the prince visited Bendigo, where fireworks accidentally set a model ship on fire. Three boys perished in the flames.

Two days later, a hall built especially to host a ball in the prince’s honour accidentally burnt to the ground on the night of his visit.

The assassination attempt

The prince then visited Tasmania and Brisbane before returning to Sydney. On March 12, 1868, while picnicking in Clontarf, an Irish man named Henry James O’Farrell approached the prince and shot him in the back . Miraculously, the bullet lodged in his ribs but missed his vital organs. The prince made a full recovery.

O’Farrell claimed to be part of a secret Irish Fenian plot . Fenians were members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, an organisation fighting for Irish independence.

Just two years prior, Fenians had attempted to capture Canada in return for Irish independence. They had also bombed a British prison only three months before the assassination attempt. Now, it seemed Fenians had infiltrated Australia.

The assassination attempt was a national embarrassment. Sir Henry Parkes, future premier of New South Wales, was certain O’Farrell represented the tip of the iceberg of a greater Irish conspiracy. The New South Wales government rushed through the Treason Felony Act to give authorities unprecedented power. It even made it a crime to refuse to drink to the queen’s health.

A national embarrassment

Meanwhile, the Australian public expressed extraordinary outrage. In the weeks after the assassination, more than 250 “indignation meetings” were held across Australia. The first meeting in Sydney, held the day after the assassination attempt, was attended by 20,000 people .

The media also played a central role; the recent invention of the telegraph meant the news travelled with exceptional speed while newspapers published racist cartoons reinforcing Irish stereotypes.

O’Farrell later admitted he had made up his claim of being a Fenian . And no evidence of a Fenian plot was ever discovered. At his trial, his barrister pleaded against the death penalty because of his “insanity”, a sentiment that was supported by the prince .

Despite this, he was executed . Today, historians accept O’Farrell was acting alone and that he suffered severe paranoia induced by mental illness and alcoholism.

Parkes was criticised for inciting anti-Irish hatred without evidence. Nonetheless, the event propelled his political career and he became NSW premier a few years later.

The Irish response

The Catholic Church denounced the assassination, while the Irish in Australia tried to distance themselves from any association with Fenianism.

Historians argue the assassination attempt resulted in the Irish-Australian community publicly reasserting their imperial loyalty. This community was at pains to emphasise a Catholic identity did not jeopardise their loyalty to their new home.

Ultimately, this led to greater cultural harmony and the emergence of a “nationalist” sentiment that would later power the movement to unite the colonies as one nation.

Today, a royal visit serves the same purpose it did in 1868. It’s a choreographed chance for the new king to show he cares about Australia – and therefore encourage loyalty among his subjects.

• Royal Family
• Australia history
• Colonial history
• Irish history
• Colonial Australia
• King Charles III
• King Charles
• Political tension

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Visit to Australia by Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, along with the Governor-General Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC, will welcome Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla to Australia in October this year.

This will be The King’s first visit to Australia as Sovereign.

The King shares a long history with and affection for Australia, having previously made 15 official visits to our nation and having visited every state and territory.

During this visit, The King and Queen will travel to the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales.

Official Australian portraits of The King and Queen have now been released and can be downloaded from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website.

In the official portraits, The King wears The Sovereign’s Badge of the Order of Australia, while The Queen wears the Wattle Brooch which was gifted to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Australia in 1954.

Australians can request printed versions of the portraits through their Federal Member of the House of Representatives or Senator in their state or territory.

Planning is currently underway for the Royal Visit, and more information will be provided in due course.

Quotes attributable to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

“I am honoured to welcome The King and Queen on their first Royal Visit to Australia later this year, they are always welcome visitors. “The King has a deep regard for our great nation, and has always spoken warmly of the time he has spent here and the astounding beauty of our extraordinary continent. “I look forward welcoming The King and Queen back to Australia for this important visit.”

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King Charles & Camilla’s Australian Itinerary Has Been Revealed

King Charles and Queen Camilla have formally set dates for their royal visit to Australia—and it’s been slightly pared back to accommodate the King’s health concerns . Upon medical advice, the King and Queen will visit Australia for a total of five days, with the full trip Down Under packed into a week. The pair’s visit will cover Australia and Samoa, where King Charles will attend the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

An Australian visit has been on the cards since King Charles’ coronation in May 2023, with the October visit marking His Majesty’s first visit to Australia as the reigning monarch.

He and Camilla last visited Australia in 2018.

When Will King Charles And Queen Camilla Visit Australia?

King Charles and Camilla will visit Australia between Friday 18th and Saturday 22nd of October, before they head to Samoa until the 26th.

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Where in australia will king charles and queen camilla visit.

If you’re wondering where King Charles and Queen Camilla will visit in Australia, their official itinerary was released on September 11. The two will attend some events together, and others separately. While the King will stick to duties reflecting his interests, including sustainability, the environment and cancer research, Queen Camilla will attend to duties focused on her passion for reading, literacy and domestic and family violence.

King Charles & Camilla’s Australian Itinerary 2024:

• Parliament House, Canberra — Charles an Camilla will first stop in our capital, Canberra, where they will be welcomed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. King Charles will address an official reception of local politicians, community leaders and “prominent Australians who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in a variety of fields, including health, arts, culture and sports.”
• The Australian War Memorial, Canberra — Charles and Camilla will lay a wreath to fallen soldiers at the War Memorial, and visit the memorial dedicated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander veterans.
• Sydney Harbour — The royals will conduct a “Fleet Review” of the Royal Australian Navy
• Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) — King Charles will visit the CSIRO and meet with firefighters to lean about the centre’s work to combat bushfires
• Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra — Charles and Camilla will tour the gardens, featuring the world’s largest collection of Australian native plants, and learn about indigenous plant use, plus hear from staff and volunteers about how climate change is affecting biodiversity.
• Meeting with Professor Georgina Long and Professor Richard Scolyer — King Charles will meet with these Australians of the Year to discuss their work on melanoma research and treatment.
• Sydney Library — At an undisclosed library in Sydney, Camilla will meet children participating in the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition workshop.
• A forum on family violence, Canberra — The Queen will join a discussion on domestic and family violence with survivors and experts in the field.
• GIVIT charity meeting — As a patron of the charity, Camilla will also meet with representatives of the GIVIT charity platform.
• A BBQ, Western Sydney — To experience the cultural diversity of Australia, and sample some of our finest homegrown foods, the King and Queen will attend a BBQ in Sydney’s west, where they will also meet with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives to learn about “supporting local community” and “strengthening culture”.

The couple’s Australian visit will coincide with Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa, which King Charles and Queen Camilla will continue onto after Australia. CHOGM is held every two years and sees the 56 nations come together.

Stay tuned for further updates to t

Rebecca Mitchell is a senior writer at marie claire Australia. She graduated from Charles Sturt University in 2011 already with solid media experience under her belt. She started her career in broadcast news, simultaneously hosting the Never Talk Politics radio programme on 2MCE and as a reporter at WIN News. After returning to her hometown of Sydney, she worked as a journalist in lifestyle media, including at Mamamia, SheSaid, and Foxtel’s Lifestyle group. Formerly a freelance journalist, you can find her words at Refinery29, Urban List, Broadsheet, and more.

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Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla to visit Australia in October 2024

• Royal Visits

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, along with the Governor-General Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC, will welcome Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla to Australia in October this year.

While The King has previously made 15 official visits to Australia, this will be his first as Sovereign following his Accession in 2022 and the first visit to Australia by a reigning monarch since 2011. Their Majesties will visit NSW and the ACT, before travelling to Samoa to join leaders of the 56 Commonwealth nations for the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

The King and Queen have also provided their official Australian portraits in which The King wears The Sovereign’s Badge of the Order of Australia and The Queen wears the Wattle Brooch which was gifted to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Australia in 1954.

The portraits are available to download for private use by individuals, and printed copies can be requested through Federal Members of the House of Representatives or Senators in their state or territory.

• Free general admission

First royal visit

1867: Australia’s first royal visit – by Prince Alfred, son of Queen Victoria

Prince Alfred in South Australia: His Royal Highness Receiving the Address of the Adelaide City Corporation . National Library of Australia obj-140401734

On 31 October 1867 Prince Alfred, second eldest son of Queen Victoria, landed in Adelaide. The Prince was the first member of the British royal family to visit Australia and attracted huge crowds wherever he went.

The tour was marred by rioting, farce, tragedy and Australia's first political assassination attempt. Irishman Henry James O’Farrell shot and wounded the Prince at a Sydney picnic in 1868.

Melbourne Punch , 1867:

80,000 loafers all jammed together. At a Melbourne Banquet, in very hot weather. 80,000 hungry souls, gnashing their teeth. Eager to drink the wine, and gorge the roast beef. 80,000 savages, dirty and greasy. Dr Louis Smith, clean but uneasy. 80,000 drunken louts roaring for wine. A thin line of troopers drawn up in line. Many pretty little girls and spectators huddled. 80,000 Melburnians stupid and fuddled. Wasn’t this a picture to make Melbourne wince? Wasn’t this a dainty dish to set before the Prince.

Naval career

Born in 1844 Prince Alfred was the fourth child and second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

He joined the Royal Navy at age 14 as a midshipman and by 1866 had attained the rank of captain and had command of HMS Galatea, a steam-powered sail-equipped frigate. In the same year, Alfred was made Duke of Edinburgh.

In January 1867 the Galatea set sail from Plymouth on a round the world voyage visiting the Mediterranean before making a state visit to the emperor of Brazil. Two months were spent in the Cape Colony in South Africa before crossing the Indian Ocean to Australia.

Warm welcome in South Australia

The Prince docked in Glenelg on the outskirts of Adelaide on the afternoon of 31 October 1867. Massive crowds greeted him and lined the roads on the way into the city.

As darkness fell, 40,000 gas lights illuminated the colony’s public offices and immense portraits of the Prince adorned many of the buildings. Alfred spent three weeks in South Australia and masses of people assembled to greet him.

He left the state with a very positive impression saying in a letter to the press that, ‘I have noticed in Adelaide an absence of the poor and rowdy class, so numerous elsewhere’. Considering the SA Parliament had just legislated to keep the colony convict-free, his comment would have had an appreciative audience.

H.R.H. Prince Alfred, K.G., Duke of Edinburgh, HS Sadd, 1868. National Library of Australia obj-135977024

Religious tension and in Victoria

On 24 November 1867 Prince Alfred arrived in Melbourne and again huge crowds welcomed him. But religious tensions marred his time in the colony.

The Protestant community hall was decorated with an image showing William of Orange, the 17th-century English King, defeating Catholic armies at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland.

Given the tension between Catholics and Protestants in Australia this was a provocative gesture. Crowds of Irish Catholics gathered outside the hall, singing republican Irish songs and throwing stones.

As the group was beginning to disperse the windows of the hall opened and shots were fired into the mob. A Catholic boy was killed and a riot ensued.

There was more mayhem on 27 November at the free public banquet the Prince was to attend.

The organising committee had planned for a crowd of up to 10,000 people, a substantial proportion of Melbourne’s 200,000 population, but 40,000 people arrived expecting free food and wine.

The crowd became restless, and when the Prince cancelled his appearance due to concerns he might be trampled, the angry crowd charged the barriers and another riot took place as thousands fought over the food on the tables and the wine that was to be dispensed from fountains.

Despite these unfortunate events the public was not dissuaded from trying to see the Prince and enormous gatherings continued to follow him. In Geelong, where another free banquet had been organised, larger than planned for crowds again gathered and the organising committee fled.

In Bendigo, a huge firework display was planned. The focus of the spectacle was a model of the ship Galatea. Tragically, three boys climbed into the model and set off the fireworks. They were trapped inside and burned to death.

Two days later a ball was planned at the newly built and named Alfred Hall. Unfortunately, it was a timber building lit with gas lamps and some of the calico sheeting inside caught fire and the hall burned to the ground.

Visit of H.R.H. Prince Alfred to New South Wales – Harbour Reception – The 'Galatea' approaching her anchorage off Fort Macquarie, Port Jackson, F Garling. State Library of NSW 423840

Australia's first political assassination attempt

On 21 January 1868, having visited Tasmania, Prince Alfred arrived in Sydney where he spent a month before travelling to Queensland for a week.

When the Prince arrived back in Sydney in early March his staff requested a less demanding social schedule. The royal tour organising committees agreed, but one event the Prince had agreed to attend was a picnic to raise funds to build a sailors’ home.

The picnic was scheduled for 12 March at Clontarf on Sydney’s north shore. Yet again, larger than expected crowds arrived early at the scene. The Prince sailed up from Sydney Harbour in his steam launch and landed in time for lunch.

After the meal he was escorted by one of the patrons of the event, Sir William Manning, on a walk. A man approached them from the crowd, pulled a double-barreled pistol from his jacket and shot the Prince in the back at close range.

Alfred fell to the ground calling, ‘Good God, I am shot … My back is broken’. The assailant was immediately tackled by a Mr Thorne, who wrestled the weapon from him as he tried to fire a second round.

Attempted assassination of H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh at Clontarf, N.S.W. , Samuel Calvert, 1868. National Library of Australia obj-136065850

Assassin hanged

The shot had been heard around the picnic ground and the crowd panicked. The Prince was surrounded by a cordon of men, and after a medical examination confirmed the injury was not life threatening he was escorted back to his launch.

The would-be assassin was Henry James O’Farrell, a Catholic Irishman. Australia’s ongoing fear of Irish nationalism, which had become focused on the Catholic community and the separatist Fenian movement, meant that the predominantly Protestant crowd almost lynched O’Farrell on the spot.

Over the next few months there was an outpouring of anti-Catholic sentiment. ‘Indignation meetings’ were held around the country and the newspapers were full of articles attacking the Irish. This sectarian animosity which until then had been somewhat underground now became very public.

The Prince made a full recovery and O’Farrell was convicted of attempted murder, even though he exhibited signs of mental instability. The Prince asked that clemency be shown to his assailant but the request was ignored.

Alfred sailed for England on 4 April and O’Farrell was hanged in Darlinghurst Gaol on 21 April 1868.

Legacy of the royal visit

Concern for the Prince after the shooting, and the relief felt when it was known he would survive, saw the public contributing large sums to funds established to build hospitals in his name.

The Alfred Hospital Melbourne opened in 1871 and the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney opened in 1882. Schools, streets and parks were also named after the Prince.

Prince Alfred visited the Australian colonies again, although informally, in 1869 and 1870–71. He died in Germany in 1900.

Catholic–Protestant animosity continued in Australia for another century.

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Assassination attempt, Dictionary of Sydney

Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Australian Dictionary of Biography

Brian McKinlay, The First Royal Tour 1867–1868 , Rigby Ltd, Adelaide, 1970.

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Here's What It Really Takes to Plan a Royal Tour

In honor of Meghan and Harry's trip to South Africa, we break down the planning process.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle just arrived in South Africa for their 10-day tour of the region. But what does it take to pull off a trip of this scale? Here's how it all breaks down:

Planning a royal tour

Royal tours can take up to a year to plan, and are either instigated by the U.K. government, or by an invitation from the host country. The itinerary is put together based on whatever matters of national importance the host government would like to draw attention to, while also incorporating some of the visiting royal's personal interests.

Once the itinerary is agreed upon, members of the royal party's team travel out to the destination to figure out exactly how everything will work—from travel time to dress codes, camera angles, and the best place for the royal cavalcade to pull up.

A list will be compiled of all the people the royal party will meet, and matters of cultural requirements and etiquette discussed. Venue plans are drawn up to illustrate where everyone will stand, sit, enter and exit. All of the information is distilled down into a "tour bible" as thick and glossy as a magazine.

Meanwhile an advance team of Royal Protection Service officers—a special division of London's Metropolitan Police Service—will visit to figure out all security matters and liaise with their local counterpoints.

Back in the U.K., the royals go through the itinerary with their team so they fully understand what is happening at each engagement and why. Wardrobe is of the utmost importance. Adhering to dress codes means that for some countries hemlines, sleeve-lengths, and necklines need to be considered. On a practical level, temperatures are key. How much walking is there, and what kind of terrain?

Men may need tie pins, medals, sashes, and handkerchiefs. Women often pay respect to the country with a national flower or symbol incorporated into their clothing. Symbolic colors are chosen, significant jewelry decided upon. There will also be spare outfits lined up in case anything is damaged or lost.

Last minute briefings are given on the plane, and the royals will change out of traveling clothes into their outfits at the last minute to avoid wrinkling or spills.

Who travels with them?

When the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Canada with their children in 2016, they took a team of 12: William's private secretary Miguel Head and assistant private secretary Laura Baker, Kate's private secretary Rebecca Deacon, stylist Natasha Archer and hairdresser Amanda Cook-Tucker, tour secretary Kate Mager, an operations manager who helped with logistics such as loading luggage, and nanny Maria Borrallo. There was also their Press Secretary Jason Knauf, and three other press officers who ensure smooth communications with the hundreds of home and foreign press on the ground, and also handle the social media accounts.

Harry and Meghan have a similar crew with them on this trip including private secretaries, program and logistics coordinators, and a hair dresser!

The U.K. government usually covers the cost of the international flights that the royal party and their team require in getting to and from the country they're visiting, but the host nation covers the majority of costs. The theory goes that they have invited the royal party to visit, and the resulting publicity will showcase their country as a tourist destination and draw positive attention to causes and initiatives.

This is why colorful, photogenic activities will always be favored, because the pictures will be more likely to be used in news outlets around the world. Case in point: Prince Harry racing against Usain Bolt on his Caribbean tour.

What the royal party do in their downtime?

They actually don't really get much free time to themselves. Royal tours used to span months, but these days it's more economical to cover more engagements in less time, so the royals will never be away longer than two weeks, and customarily they attend around four engagements a day.

Usually there will be a few car trips involved each day, and sometimes there will be a flight between one country and another—on rare occasions there might even be more than one flight. Starts can be early, so they can get on the road, and in the evenings there are gala receptions. On tours of longer than a week, there will usually be one morning or afternoon where the royal party can catch their breath, but the week-long ones are a whirlwind from start to finish.

What happens to all the gifts and flowers?

The gifts are received in an official capacity, so they are all carefully logged and packed. A list of gifts that each member of the family has received on overseas tours is released publicly every year.

Some of the gifts will be stored, and others will be used in royal homes. A pair of crane birds made from recycled car parts that were received by Prince Charles on one African visit stand in a place of pride by a lake in his grounds at Highgrove.

Flowers are perishable, and so some are used to decorate the royal quarters where they are staying, and the rest are gifted to local hospitals.

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International team for the Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal

The Associated Press

September 25, 2024, 10:01 AM

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MONTREAL (AP) — A capsule look at the 12-man International team at the Presidents Cup, which starts Thursday at Royal Montreal:

Byeong Hun An

Country: South Korea.

World ranking: 34.

Worldwide victories: 2.

2024 victories: None.

Majors: None.

Presidents Cup record: 1-2-2.

Noteworthy: He had three partners in team matches in his only other Presidents Cup appearance in 2019, when he was added to the team because of Jason Day’s back injury.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Country: South Africa.

World ranking: 45.

Worldwide victories: 5.

Presidents Cup record: 1-0-1.

Noteworthy: He was unbeaten in two matches at Quail Hollow at the last Presidents Cup, beating Kevin Kisner in singles.

Corey Conners

Country: Canada.

World ranking: 37.

Presidents Cup record: 0-4-0.

Noteworthy: Renowned for his iron play, Conners was in a slump at the last Presidents Cup and didn’t win a match. He is one of three Canadians on the team, and the only Canadian to be in the Olympics and Presidents Cup.

Country: Australia.

World ranking: 33.

Worldwide victories: 14.

Majors: PGA Championship (2015).

Presidents Cup record: 5-11-4.

Noteworthy: He is playing in his first Presidents Cup since 2017 at Liberty National. A back injury kept him out of Melbourne matches in 2019. He is 1-7-2 in his last two Presidents Cup.

Mackenzie Hughes

World ranking: 61.

Presidents Cup record: Rookie.

Noteworthy: Known for his putting, he was left off the last Presidents Cup team at Quail Hollow, where Hughes is a member. He is the only player outside the top 60 in the world at Royal Montreal.

World ranking: 21.

Presidents Cup record: 5-3-2.

Noteworthy: He won in South Korea again this year. His last PGA Tour title was 2021 in Las Vegas. He first got the attention of his International team with his iron play in the wind at Royal Melbourne in 2019.

World ranking: 49.

Worldwide victories: 4.

Presidents Cup record: 4-3-0.

Noteworthy: He is coming off a 3-1 record at the last Presidents Cup. Kim and Im were part of the South Korean team that won the gold medal at the Asian Games last year.

World ranking: 24.

Worldwide victories: 7.

Presidents Cup record: 2-3-0.

Noteworthy: Made his Presidents Cup debut with a winning putt and a hat slam at Quail Hollow. Kim wasn’t born the last time the International team won the Presidents Cup.

Min Woo Lee

World ranking: 40.

Noteworthy: His “first” team appearance was in the Olympics. He opened with a 76 and closed with rounds of 65-68-68. He is the younger brother of LPGA major champion Minjee Lee.

Hideki Matsuyama

Country: Japan.

World ranking: 7.

Worldwide victories: 19.

2024 victories: Genesis Invitational, FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Majors: Masters (2021).

Presidents Cup record: 5-9-4.

Noteworthy: His victories at Riviera and TPC Southwind made him the winningest player this year on the International team. Matsuyama made his Presidents Cup debut in 2013, his first year as a pro.

Taylor Pendrith

World ranking: 44.

Worldwide victories: 1.

2024 victories: CJ Cup Byron Nelson.

Noteworthy: Known as a power hitter, he won his first PGA Tour title at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson this year. One of three Canadians on the team.

World ranking: 18.

Worldwide victories: 29.

Majors: Masters (2013).

Presidents Cup record: 18-25-6.

Noteworthy: He has played more Presidents Cups than any International team player and has still yet to be on a winning team. Scott’s first appearance was in 2003 when the teams tied in South Africa.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

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Princess Catherine returns to royal duties, hosting second meeting at Windsor Castle as Christmas plans take shape

The Princess of Wales is continuing her return into royal action, hosting her second official meeting in as many weeks, as she prepares for her beloved annual Christmas Carol service.

Princess Catherine is continuing her return to public life, hosting her second official meeting at Windsor Castle after providing a video update on her successful cancer treatment.  

The mother of three took a break from royal duties earlier this year after revealing her diagnosis with an undisclosed form of cancer.

On September 9, the Wales family shared a heartfelt update , announcing that Catherine had completed her treatment and was ready to return to work.

Cleared by her medical team, the Princess made her first public appearance back in full-time royal life on September 18 , when she hosted a Royal Foundation meeting at Windsor Castle.

Just a week later, on Wednesday, Catherine, 42, organised a second royal meeting- a brainstorming session to plan her annual Christmas Carol service, now less than three months away.  

"The Princess of Wales, Joint Patron, the Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales, this morning held a Meeting at Windsor Castle," read an entry in the Court Circular. 

The Together at Christmas event, which is filmed for broadcast, is set for Christmas Eve at Westminster Abbey.  

Catherine first hosted the Together at Christmas event in 2021, capturing hearts by playing the piano in a moving tribute to those lost during the pandemic.

In 2022, the service honoured Queen Elizabeth II, who had passed just three months prior, and last year, the Princess celebrated individuals working in the early childhood sector.  

@theoz.com.au Princess Catherine is set to play piano at a #Christmas carol special at Westminster Abbey, after dazzling the public with her skills last year 🎹 #princecatherine #royals #katemiddleton ♬ original sound - The Oz

The Waleses’ Royal Foundation, which sponsors the concert, has described the event as "combining traditional and modern elements to encompass people of all faiths and none."  

"The service provides a moment for the nation to come together and reflect, to think not only of the extraordinary challenges that we have faced, but also to celebrate the acts of kindness that we have witnessed across our nation, the communities pulling together to protect and care for those in need, and those who have stepped up to help others," the Foundation said. 

While this year’s theme is yet to be announced, it is expected to be a special moment for the royal family, offering a chance to reflect on the past year and look forward to what lies ahead.  

Although Princess Catherine has completed her chemotherapy, she has acknowledged that her "path to healing and full recovery" is ongoing.

"Despite all that has gone before, I enter this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation for life," she said.

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Queen Mary to visit Brazil next week, palace announces

By Natalie Oliveri | 1 day ago

Queen Mary is preparing to travel abroad without her husband for an important visit focusing on women's rights and the environment.

The Queen will be in Brazil next week where she will tour Manaus and Brasilia, the Danish Royal Household has announced.

King Frederik will not join the Queen on the visit.

READ MORE: Princess of Wales to host Christmas carols concert in December

Queen Mary will be in Brazil from October 2 – 5 with sustainability, biodiversity and climate on the agenda.

Her Majesty will visit the Amazon rainforest and its river systems as well as the Brazilian savannah, the Cerrado.

READ MORE: Harry shows photo of Archie, Lili as he warns of 'pervasive threat'

In her role as patron of the United Nations Environmental Programme, the Queen will attend an event focused on biodiversity and conservation.

She is also due to meet with female leaders and representatives from the United Nations Population Fund, to discuss equality and the fight against gender-based violence in Brazil, which has been a key focus of Queen Mary's royal work .

Mary was last in Brazil for the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Mary's visit to the South American country is her second tour abroad without King Frederik since the change of throne on January 14 .

Two weeks after the proclamation, Mary was in Cologne, Germany, to attend the European Men's Handball Championship between Denmark and France for her first solo trip abroad as Queen.

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The King and Queen will next travel to Germany for their first state visit since Queen Margrethe II's abdication, on October 21 and 22.

The tour will follow state visits to Norway and Sweden earlier this year, and the summer cruises to Greenland and various Danish cities on board the royal yacht Dannebrog .

For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here .

At the weekend, Queen Mary acted as regent of Denmark for the first time since the change of throne.

Although Mary has been able to do so since 2019, and she has on many occasions, this marked the first time she has formally governed Denmark in her role as Queen Consort.

The 52-year-old took on the role as her husband, King Frederik , was out of the country, Crown Prince Christian is in Africa and Queen Margrethe was unwell following a fall at Fredensborg Palace last week.

The 84-year-old was taken to the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen as a precaution where doctors discovered the queen had damaged vertebrae in her neck and suffered a fracture in her left hand.

On Monday, Queen Mary was asked about her mother-in-law's condition while attending the National Conference for Health Care Nurses, in partnership with the Mary Foundation, at the Tivoli Hotel & Congress Centre .

"Under the circumstances, she is doing very well," Queen Mary told Danish magazine Billed Bladet.

"I have had the opportunity to visit her a few times since she came home."

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