King Charles and Queen Camilla will round out their trip to Canberra with a tour of the Australian National Botanic Gardens. Photo: Australian Government.
UPDATE 11:20 am: Canberra has turned on spectacular spring weather for the King and Queen’s visit this morning.
The royal couple is expected to arrive in the ACT in about 30 minutes but the crowds have already begun to build outside the Australian War Memorial hours before the event.
As soon as they land it will be a busy schedule, as their tour of Canberra will end about 5 pm this afternoon.
In a nutshell, the expected itinerary is:
- 11:50 am: King Charles and Queen Camilla will arrive at the RAAF Squadron VIP Terminal where an official welcoming and welcome to county will take place.
- 12:15pm : The King will lay a wreath in the Australian War Memorial’s hall of memory while the Queen will lay a floral tribute.
- 1 pm: Their Majesties will arrive at Parliament House. They will attend a ceremonial welcome, a parliamentary reception and meet the public.
- 3:15 pm: At Government House, the Queen will discuss domestic violence at an event hosted by Governor General Sam Mostyn.
- 4:20 pm: The King will visit the CSIRO National Bushfire Behaviour Research Laboratory while the Queen will be at the botanic gardens meeting volunteers.
- 5 pm: The royal couple will finish their Canberra visit with a tree planting.
9 am: King Charles and Queen Camilla are flying into the RAAF base at Fairbairn this morning, ahead of a full day of touring Canberra.
The royal couple arrived in Sydney on Friday (18 October) for Charles’ first visit to Australia as head of state and the first visit by a reigning monarch since Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited Australia in 2011.
They attended a church service at St Thomas’ Anglican Church in Sydney on Sunday morning, followed by a visit to the NSW Parliament to mark 150 years of the state government.
“It is fascinating, I think, to reflect back to 200 years ago. Thinking about those times makes one wonder what that inaugural handful of members of the New South Wales Legislative Council would make of this Parliament today and of how this great state has progressed,” His Majesty said during a speech.
The King received both the Governor-General Sam Mostyn and NSW Governor Margaret Beazley on separate occasions at Admiralty House.
When Their Majesties arrive in Canberra this morning, they’ll be greeted on the tarmac by Official Secretary to the Governor-General Gerard Martin, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, Head of the ACT Public Service Kathy Leigh (on behalf of the Chief Minister), Professor Glyn Davis from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and Ngunnawal elder Aunty Serena Williams.
Aunty Serena will perform a welcome-to-country and smoking ceremony.
School students will also attend, with Ruby from Bonython Primary School and Indigo from Cranleigh School to present the Queen with a posy.
From here, the King and Queen will be chauffeured to the Australian War Memorial to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The couple last visited the site for the Remembrance Day Ceremony in 2015.
They’ll meet with members of the public around 11 am on their way to the ‘For Our Country – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander’ memorial in the Memorial’s sculpture garden.
Their Majesties will go on to Parliament House to receive a ‘Ceremonial Welcome’ from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and fiancé Jodie Haydon.
Cannon fire will echo across the city as they receive a 21-gun salute and a guard honour at around 1 pm.
Inside the House, Their Majesties will both sign the visitor’s book alongside the Prime Minister as well as President of the Senate Sue Lines and Speaker of the House of Representatives Milton Dick, before attending a reception at Aussies Café in the Great Hall, where the King will deliver a speech.
Shortly afterwards, they’ll meet with members of the public again on the Parliament House forecourt.
From here, the royal couple will plant a tree at Government House before going their separate ways for the afternoon.
The King will meet with scientists and firefighters at the CSIRO National Bushfire Research Laboratory, while the Queen will attend an event for domestic violence survivors.
Both will reunite at the Australian National Botanic Gardens later in the afternoon for a tour.
Their Majesties return to Sydney tomorrow (Tuesday) before flying out to Samoa for the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on Wednesday.
More to come.
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