Royal news live: King Charles sends message to Australia as monarch arrives for first visit since cancer diagnosis
The visit is King Charles’s first tour of Australia as king
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King Charles and Queen Camilla have touched down in “beautiful” Australia on the first day of their historic nine-day royal tour.
The visit, which is the couple’s first as king and queen, will celebrate Australia’s rich culture and heritage.
Their arrival in Sydney was celebrated with a spectacular light show that saw the Opera House poignantly lit up for four minutes with images from previous royal tours.
“Ahead of our first visit to Australia as King and Queen, we are really looking forward to returning to this beautiful country to celebrate the extraordinarily rich cultures and communities that make it so special,” the royals said in a joint statement.
“See you there! – Charles R & Camilla R.”
The statement was accompanied by archive footage from previous royal tours of the country.
As well as being Charles’s first time in Australia as monarch, the tour is his first overseas visit since being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.
The king, 75, is said to be temporarily pausing his treatment for the occasion, but he is accompanied by two doctors as a precautionary measure.
The Prince’s Trust formally changes its name
King Charles’s longstanding youth charity, the Prince’s Trust, has formally changed its name to the King’s Trust today.
The charity’s chair, Alison Brittain, described the change as heralding a new, “exciting” chapter for the charity, which was established almost 50 years ago in 1976 when Charles was still the Prince of Wales.
She added: “As the King’s Trust continues to work for young people in the UK and around the world, we are as committed to supporting young people to build the skills and confidence they need for work and ultimately a brighter future.”
The change was marked by a new logo featuring a white crown in front of a red background. The charity’s name was also changed on official channels.
Kate and William’s crucial parenting motto revealed during community football visit
Prince William has revealed a key parenting principle embraced by himself and Kate Middleton – never returning home empty-handed.
He made the revelation while on a visit to a football event held by the NFL Foundation in London this morning, where he was gifted a football for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
William said: “That’s very kind. Never go home empty-handed, that’s a crucial motto of being a parent.
“They will love that.
“We’re going to do some practice together, let’s see how many windows I can smash.”
Prince William raises awareness of UK’s NFL Foundation
The Prince of Wales has shown young people today that they do not need to live stateside to enjoy American football in the UK.
William, 42, did so by attending an event held by the NFL Foundation, which provides inclusive access to the sport to young people aged 12 to 20.
He even had a go at being a quarterback himself and was praised for his impressive throw in a non-contact version of the sport.
The official Kensington Palace Twitter/X account wrote: “@NFLFLAG is fast-paced, inclusive, and designed to inspire and engage young people, developing their confidence and supporting them to reach their full potential.”
@NFLFLAG is fast-paced, inclusive, and designed to inspire and engage young people, developing their confidence and supporting them to reach their full potential 🏈 pic.twitter.com/Km6TSMVqZH
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) October 15, 2024
Prince William attends NFL event and shows off ‘unbelievable arm’
Prince William has today shown off his “unbelievable arm” as he tried his hand at American football at an NFL event supporting deprived young people in the UK.
Youngsters shouted “what a throw” when the heir to the throne, 42, showed off his skills at the event at Kennington Park hockey pitch, south London, this morning.
Reacting to William’s role as a quarterback in the non-contact version of American football, Phoebe Schecter, GB women’s flag football captain, said: “Honestly, Prince William was great – his arm strength is unbelievable, when he let that first ball rip I couldn’t believe it.
“Honestly I think if we had better receivers around we would have had multiple touchdowns happening, but his ability to take control of the offence, going into a completely unfamiliar territory really, calling the cadence, receiving the ball, doing a hand-off at one point, making those tactical decisions – it was phenomenal.”
The event was hosted by the NFL Foundation UK, which gives young people aged 12 to 20 opportunities to try out the sport.
Seeing first-hand the power of sport in building confidence and providing a level playing field for all💪 pic.twitter.com/Wc1ALDzlKY
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) October 15, 2024
King Charles reveals key life skills everyone should have
King Charles has revealed the two “fundamental” skills he believes everyone should learn to lead a more sustainable life – sewing and hemming.
The monarch, 75, has a longstanding passion for environmental protection and said that being able to sew and hem can help to dramatically reduce an individual’s clothing waste.
His comments came while celebrating the 10th anniversary of the King’s Foundation’s textile programme.
Director of education, Jacqueline Farrell, said the monarch is “passionate” about sustainable approaches in the clothing and fashion industries and this underpins every programme they offer.
Ms Farrell told The Telegraph: “At the heart of our teaching, His Majesty is keen that participants are equipped with fundamental skills that preserve the life of our clothes, such as simply being able to sew on a button, or being able to alter and hem garments.”
King Charles to ‘pause’ cancer treatment at the end of this week
King Charles is set to temporarily “pause” his ongoing cancer treatment as he travels to Australia and Samoa later this week.
The monarch, 75, has been battling an undisclosed form of the disease since earlier this year and is said to be bringing two doctors with him on the trip as a precautionary measure.
According to reports, he will resume treatment after the 11-day trip.
The monarch is said to be having a rest day on the visit to give him a break from his packed schedule too. There will also be no evening engagements.
Meghan Markle’s former bodyguard reveals ‘huge lesson’ he learned from her
Meghan Markle’s former bodyguard has opened up about working for the Duchess of Sussex, revealing that she was “a good person to work for”.
Steve Davies, who worked for the duchess in Toronto during the early part of her relationship with Prince Harry, told InTouch magazine: “My wife and I got invited to the wedding, that’s how close we became,” he said. “I would work with her again, not a problem at all. She was a good person to work for, and she still is a good person.”
He added: “I saw her, from working at the studio to working with charities to working with dog walkers and cleaners.
“There’s one huge lesson I learned from her: It’s give respect to get respect.”
Anti-monarchy group welcomes Charles and Camilla for ‘farewell tour'
An Australian anti-monarchy group has welcomed King Charles and Queen Camilla’s impending visit to the country but claimed that it should be their “farewell tour”.
The Australian Republican Movement (ARM) said the visit, which begins on Friday (18 October), will give the British royal family the “chance to wave goodbye to royal reign”.
Esther Anatolitis, co-chairwoman of the ARM, said on Twitter/X: “Welcome to Monarchy The Farewell Oz Tour.
“It’s time to wave goodbye to royal reign. This week’s visit is a valuable opportunity for us to ask that question we’ve been asking for many years, why does Australia still have a King?
“Does it make sense that our head of state inherits the role by birthright and isn’t here for Australians full time?
“By all means, let’s welcome Charles and Camilla to Australia, but let’s see this as the last visit of a sitting monarch. Makes a lot of sense.”
👋 A message from our Co-Chair Esther Anatolitis. Let's wave goodbye to royal reign! #AusRepublic #FarewellOzTour @_esther pic.twitter.com/vfXrYqs07t
— Australian Republic Movement (@AusRepublic) October 14, 2024
Duchess of York celebrates 64th birthday
The Duchess of York is celebrating her 65th birthday today.
Sarah Ferguson joined the royal family when she married Prince Andrew in 1986. While the pair later divorced, she still lives with her ex-husband at the Royal Lodge.
After recently recovering from breast and skin cancer, she has been using her platform to raise awareness of the disease.
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