King Charles to go on first foreign royal tour since being diagnosed with cancer as he and Camilla make plans to visit Australia and Samoa in the autumn
The King will undertake his first foreign royal tour since being diagnosed with cancer, Buckingham Palace has announced.
He will travel to Australia and Samoa in the autumn accompanied by his wife, Queen Camilla.
Charles will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa and is also expected to visit Sydney and Canberra in October.
Plans to extend the tour to New Zealand and Fiji have been scrapped amid the King's ongoing cancer treatment.
It is not known whether he will still be undergoing treatment at the time of the overseas trip after being diagnosed with an undisclosed form of the disease in January.
He has continued to work throughout.
The King will travel to Australia and Samoa in the autumn accompanied by his wife, Queen Camilla. Pictured: The King and Queen hold koalas in Adelaide, Australia in November 2012
King Charles chats to an indigenous elder during a traditional Welcome to Country Ceremony on April 9, 2018
The King and Queen are set to visit Australia and Samoa this autumn, but the couple are not going to New Zealand due to Charles' ongoing treatment for cancer
Charles will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa and is also expected to visit Sydney and Canberra in October. Pictured: The King and Queen in Waitangi, New Zealand, in 2019
Charles is given a grass skirt to wear prior to receiving a chiefly title during a visit to the Chiefs' Nakamal during a visit to the South Pacific Island of Vanuatu
Charles and Camilla walk on Broadbeach in Gold Coast on April 5, 2018 as they attended the opening ceremony for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games
But doctors have advised that he should undertake a curtailed visit out of caution and in order to pace himself.
A spokesman said: 'The King's doctors have advised that such an extended programme should be avoided at this time, to prioritise His Majesty's continued recovery.
'In close consultation with the Australian and New Zealand Prime Ministers, and with due regard for the pressures of time and logistics, it has therefore been agreed to limit the visit to Samoa and Australia only.
'Their Majesties send their warmest thanks and good wishes to all parties for their continued support and understanding. '
The same reason has been given as to why there will be a shorter than planned visit to Australia, involving fewer public engagements.
His spokesman said: 'As with all His Majesty's recent engagements, his programme in both countries will be subject to doctors' advice, and any necessary modifications on health grounds. '
However it is considered remarkable that he is undertaking such a lengthy and gruelling trip - 30,000 door to door miles in all - at the age of 75 and given the health crisis he has so recently faced.
The King and Queen pictured in 2015 as they depart Perth, Australia following a tour
Charles and Camilla during their visit to the Orokonui Ecosanctuary on November 5, 2015
Charles meets locals after he and his wife Camilla (not pictured) arrived at Longreach in outback Queensland on November 5, 2012
The King will undertake his first foreign royal tour since being diagnosed with cancer , Buckingham Palace has announced. Pictured: The King and Queen visit the Senedd
But apparently King Charles is determined to meet his commitments, his first trip to Australia where he is also head of state, since his accession.
Sources in Australia say that health concerns mean the king will not be undertaking all-day events, with regular time set aside for rest. It is believed he will visit the New South Wales Parliament House and a major attraction such as the Sydney Opera House.
It's also believed a formal reception in his honour will be hosted in Canberra by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Meanwhile the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa will bring together delegations from 56 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific. The King followed his late mother as Head of the Commonwealth.
