King Charles III Australia tour: Where to see the royals on their tour of Australia and Samoa

In case you missed it, King Charles III and Queen Camilla are coming Down Under for a royal tour of Australia and Samoa.

Starting Friday, the nine-day Autumn Tour will see Their Majesties visit Sydney and Canberra before jetting over to Samoa to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

It will be the King’s 17th royal tour of Australia but his first as Monarch. It is also his most significant journey abroad since the 75-year-old was diagnosed with an undisclosed cancer in February.

This visit is also the first of Australia by a reigning monarch since 2011. It is Charles’ and Camilla’s first tour of Australia since attending the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

The King and Queen will undertake the nine-day tour from October 18 until October 26; they will be in Australia until October 23.

In a statement, the Palace said the tour 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”.

Details of the royals’ official public itinerary revealed a few opportunities for the public to catch a glimpse of the royals in Australia.

Here’s where you can see the royals.

Canberra: Australian War Memorial

Although the King and Queen will land in Australia on Friday, their first public event is scheduled for Monday, October 21 in Canberra.

The public’s first chance to meet the royals will come when the couple make their way to the Australian War Memorial at 12.35 pm.

The King and Queen will lay a wreath at the Memorial and visit the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander memorial ‘For Our Country’ in the sculpture garden.

The War Memorial has advised members of the public to be in place no later than 11.45 am to avoid road closures — using public transport is recommended — and allow for security screening (which opens at 10.30 am).

Check the Transport Canberra website for special bus services to the Australian War Memorial for the Royal Visit.

Canberra: Parliament House

Moments later, the public will get a second chance to see Their Majesties after touring formalities commence with a ceremonial welcome at Parliament House from 1 pm.

The couple will be welcomed at Parliament House by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and the King will address a reception attended by “political and community leaders” as well as other “prominent Australians who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in a variety of fields, including health, arts, culture and sports”.

The public will get a chance to meet the royals at the Parliament House forecourt at 2.10 pm. Visitors are advised to plan to be in place no later than 12.10 pm to avoid road closures and allow for possible security screening.

Sydney: Sydney Opera House and Man O’War Steps

The next opportunity to see the monarchs will be at the Sydney Opera House forecourt on Tuesday, October 22.

The Sydney Opera House precinct will be open from 3 pm before the royals arrive at 4.20 pm.

“I invite everyone to head to the Sydney Opera House Forecourt on the afternoon of Tuesday 22 October to attend this special event,” NSW Premier Chris Minns said in a statement.

The King and Queen will then conduct a Fleet Review of HMAS Arunta, Gascoyne, Hobart, Warramunga, and Yarra on Sydney Harbour.

Members of the public can gather at the Man O’War Steps to see the royals embark on the Admiral Hudson vessel at 4.50 pm to conduct the review.

The Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force and Australian Army will conduct a fly-past during the review.

The public is recommended to be at the Sydney Opera House and the other foreshore vantage points — Farm Cove, the Royal Botanic Gardens and Mrs Macquarie’s Chair precinct — no later than 3.50 pm to avoid road closures.

Where else are the King and Queen going in Australia?

The King and Queen are embarking on a number of joined and solo trips during their tour.

The King, ever the green thumb, will visit the CSIRO in Canberra and meet with firefighters to learn more about the centre’s work to combat bushfires.

Both he and Queen Camilla will also tour the Australian National Botanic Gardens, where they will learn about Indigenous plant use and hear from staff and volunteers about the impacts of climate change on biodiversity.

In Sydney, Charles will meet with current Australians of the Year, melanoma researchers Professor Georgina Long and Professor Richard Scolyer. The duo will speak with His Majesty about their groundbreaking cancer research and treatment. It is sure to be a personally significant meeting for the King, who has been receiving treatment for cancer since February.

He has reportedly opted to pause his cancer treatment until he returns home from the tour, per the advice of his doctors.

The Palace said Camilla will also make stops that “reflect the themes of her wider work, including her passion for encouraging reading and literacy and her desire to raise awareness of domestic and family violence”.

In Canberra, she will meet with victim-survivors of domestic and family violence, experts in the field. She will also meet with representatives of GIVIT, a charity that matches donors to causes and those in need, which she is patron of.

Camilla will also visit a Sydney library to meet with children participating in a Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition workshop, and esteemed authors.

Together, the couple will also attend a community BBQ in Western Sydney with community leaders, volunteers, and “individuals who have excelled in their field”, the Premier’s office said.

“I look forward to hosting Their Majesties at the Western Sydney community BBQ to showcase this state’s rich culinary and cultural diversity, where they will also meet with a range of community organisations and outstanding Australians,” Premier Minns said.

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

There is the change Charles III could make a possible 11th-hour appearance at Royal Randwick for the $20 million TAB Everest Day on Saturday, October 19. The official itinerary has no official meeting planned on Saturday for the King.

It seemingly does leave the door open for him to attend the meeting, if he feels up to it, which has the Group 1 $5 million King Charles III Stakes (1600m) named after him.

The Daily Telegraph reports “contingency” plans are in place if His Majesty decides to attend the race day.

Chair of the Australian Monarchist League Philip Benwell told the paper there was an “expectation” the King would attend the Stakes, which were named after him on the day of his accession and were delayed to fit with this royal tour.

“If the Queen [Elizabeth II] were here she would move heaven and earth to attend it and she would honour both the race and people involved,” Mr Benwell said.

“We are hearing that the King is coming to the races named in his honour — on a future occasion he won’t be here at the same time that the race runs.”