Royal news live: King Charles sends message to Australia as monarch arrives for first visit since cancer diagnosis
The visit will be King Charles’s first tour of Australia as king
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King Charles and Queen Camilla have expressed their excitement at returning to “beautiful” Australia ahead of the first day of their royal tour.
The couple, who will tour Australia and Samoa for eight days, will make their first appearance in Sydney where the Opera House will be lit up for four minutes with images from previous royal visits to mark their arrival.
“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 visit to Australia as reigning monarch, the visit will also be his first overseas trip since being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.
The monarch, 75, is said to be temporarily pausing his treatment for the trip, but he will be accompanied by two doctors as a precautionary measure.
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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